Reign of Fire
by AnonymousDarkWriter
Summary: After being underestimated more than once by her friends, Kimiko Tohomiko must try to prove herself; not only to her fellow monks, but to the Heilyn side as well. What can happen when Chase Young takes interest in Kimiko's determination and willingness for power? [Some parts rated K / Later Chapters are T. (No 'bad language')]
1. Lost and Found

Ch. 1

"Now where exactly did you put this thing, Dojo?" Raimundo asked in frustration. The group had been walking for hours in the forest. Not everyone was exactly in a great mood. They've skipped breakfast and it was almost noon.

The trees were very tall. Of course they were… They were the famous Redwood trees.

"Now hold on a second, I'm as hungry as you are…" Dojo replied as he scratched his head. "I can't quite remember where I put this thing… My memory isn't as good as you would think."

"Well, that's not hard to believe…" Raimundo says. He crosses his arms as he leaned against one of the tall trees. "What was this thing called again?"

Dojo slithered around on the grass, circling a tree. He sniffed and sniffed every spot. "It's so weird. I can sense it, smell it, but can't see it."

"What are we looking for?" Raimundo said as he raised his voice.

"Will you stop fussing?" Kimiko insisted. "It's the Spear of Lightning." She wandered around from place to place, searching the bushes and piles of dried leaves.

"Don't we already have on of those?"

"We have the Shard of Lightning, not the Spear of Lightning," Omi said as he put his hands behind his back and slyly smiled at him. When Raimundo walked away from Omi to lean against a different tree, Omi headed towards Clay. He climbed on top of a boulder and leaned against the large cowboy. "And to think he is our great leader!"

Clay turned red trying to hold his laughter. Raimundo looked to see his companions giggle about. He raises an eyebrow and Omi and Clay settle their laughter.

"Err, um… Sorry, partner," Clay says as he raised a hand.

It has only been months after Raimundo was chosen to be leader. Though everyone accepted Master Fung's choice, they still resented the fact that they were not chosen.

"Are we anywhere close to the spear?" Kimiko asked. "It's the first one to activate in months and I don't want to get into any certain problems with certain people…"

"Fear not, my friends. I think I've spotted it!" Omi said as he pointed toward the treetop. It was the same tree Raimundo was leaning against.

"Way to go, partner!" Clay said as he prepared his lasso to capture the Wu.

"No," insisted Omi, "it's the first time since our leader has been chosen and that a Shen Gon Wu has revealed itself. Let's let Raimundo bring it."

"Oh, I'll bring it," Raimundo said with great confidence as he formed a fist with his hand. "Especially now that we have unwanted company…"

Everyone peered upward as Jack Spicer waved at them. The infamous Goth hovered over their heads with the gadget strapped on his back. "I know it's hard to believe. Yes, it is I, Jack Spicer!"

"Like, we didn't notice before!" Kimiko exclaimed sarcastically. She gathered with her friends. Clay and Raimundo took hold of her arms and instantly threw her into the air against Jack. The self – claimed Evil Boy Genius zoomed away from the attack. Though his movement was instant, Kimiko managed to grab hold of his feet.

"Someone get the Shen Gon Wu!" she shouted.

"Hey! Get off me! Jack Bots, attack!"

A large army of flying robots with cheap metal plating emerged from the trees and into the sky. One by one, they attacked the opposing team.

Raimundo acted quickly. "Crest of the Condor, Blade of the Nebula!"

A large gust of wind emerged heavily from the weapons. Kimiko screamed as she clutched tighter to Jack's boots. "Aim the other way! Aim the other way!"

"Oops!" Raimundo jumped against the tree and aimed toward the robots. Although some blew away, the many that remained attacked repeatedly by charging at them, or shooting bullets.

"Leave it to Jack Spicer to use the same tactics," Clay said angrily. "Longhorn Taurus, Big Bang Meteorang!" His weapon multiplied into many and hit nearly eight of the robots that had attacked.

Omi had decided to take on the remaining robots as the other boys climbed the tree to reach the spear. Without using his elemental weapons, Omi defeated each robot, one by one.

"Let go of me!" Jack screamed once more.

Kimiko climbed to his back and deactivated the gadget that allowed him hover and fly across the blue sky. He took hold of a nearby tree branch as Kimiko jumped off from him. Her black hair flowed in the wind as she took hold of a lower branch that resides only feet away from the Spear of Lightning.

From afar, Jack Spicer spots Wuya. And seeing Wuya can only mean one thing: Chase Young is not so far from here.

"It looks like I'm not the only one who will be messing your little party! Monkey Staff!"

Jack jumped from the tree to the other three monks who had begun to escalate the large tree. They all fell instantly from the impact, but that did not stop Kimiko from climbing to retrieve the spear. The Spear of Lightning seemed to camouflage with the branches of the trees. The only thing that distinguished it from branches was the silver, sharp, pointy tip.

As Kimiko escaladed the tree, she caught sight of Chase Young and Wuya below her. Omi, Clay, and Raimundo had taken part of surrounding him. Wuya attacked Raimundo and was able to retrieve the only Shen Gon Wu that he had hidden in his pocket: the Ruby of Ramses.

Chase Young continued to fight with the remaining monks as Raimundo tried his best to recollect the Ruby of Ramses from Wuya. "You're gonna' have to do better than that," she taunted. "Ruby of Ramses!"

Raimundo, now floating in the air in a cloud of a certain red energy, had been pushed against the tree with the energy of the Wu. As he struggled to stand, Wuya focused on the Spear of Lightning, hoping to get it before Jack and Kimiko. Since she does not have all her powers, the Spear of Lightning could serve as her weapon.

"Ruby of Ramses!"

And like that, the spear shook harshly. Many of the leaves from the shrubbery began to fall one by one, floating with the currents of the wind. Wuya struggled to get the spear out of the branches.

This caused the tree to shake. Kimiko gasped and took hold of the bark of the tree. Jack huddled with a thick branch and screamed in peril. He only let go of the Monkey Staff to grab hold of the branch. Luckily, for him, the Monkey Staff did not fall far from his reach.

Clay attacked Wuya, which caused her to drop the Ruby. With the shaking dying out, Kimiko managed to continue to climb upward. Chase Young looked up to see that Kimiko and Jack Spicer were only a few feet away from getting the Shen Gon Wu. With all his might, he jumped upward to avoid Clay and Omi's attack, causing powerful collision against one another.

"Kimiko! Look out!" Clay shouted as he rubbed his head in pain.

She turned to see Chase Young aiming to hit her with his clenched fist. She dodged it and jumped high above him to strike a punch. He moved out of the way and targeted Jack Spicer. He screamed which pleased Chase in a most disturbing way. Kimiko, hanging from a thin branch, took this to her advantage and jumped to the next to get hold of the spear.

"Monkey Staff!" Jack Spicer howled loudly and jumped upward. Him in his monkey form, managed to kick Chase Young in the face for a quick escape.

Chase Young took notice of Kimiko's advantage and raced against Monkey - Jack to take hold of the spear. It wasn't a surprise to Kimiko to see that two other hands were also holding onto the spear.


	2. A Showdown

"It seems that our friend Kimiko has two more things to worry about today," Omi said.

"That seems about right," Clay said.

High above the ground, Chase Young looked at Kimiko directly into her eyes. Monkey – Jack only hollered his annoying screaming.

"I challenge you, Jack Spicer, and you, Chase Young, to a Xiaolin Trio!"

Chase only chuckled under his breath. "Name your game, Dragon of Fire!"

"The game is Tree Hopping. The first one to fall from the tree tops loses! My Star Hanabi, against Chase's Reversing Mirror, and Jack Spicer's Monkey Staff!"

"I accept your challenge," Chase said as he turned to face Jack Spicer who seemed uninterested except for his tail that constantly slapped him in the face. The teen seemed to have no coordination over his own body.

Kimiko and Chase Young looked rather aggravated as Jack Continued to chase his tail with his free hand. Chase Young snarled at Jack. Monkey – Jack hollered and nodded, as if accepting the challenge.

The acceptances were made. With amazing magical forces of nature, the giant Redwood trees expanded their branches all around as if confining a circle. They also raised themselves higher than they normally would. More branches extended in parallel positions to reveal floor panels. Although the branches were wide, they were feet apart from one another. A single mistake can send a competitor down to the ground. On one side of ring the Xiaolin Monks stood to watch the competition, and on the other side the Heilyn witch Wuya stood with her crossed arms. The trees had warped their unique shapes to make small ledges in which the viewers stood upon.

Kimiko, now dressed in her black Xiaolin Warrior robes, took the Star Hanabi and stored it in her clothing. Jack Spicer, still in his monkey form, stood far from Chase Young and Kimiko. Chase had little interest to win, but was very eager to fight against one of the monks he had never had full contact with.

"Gong Yi Tan Pi!"

And the showdown had begun. Jack Spicer hollered and took his first strike against Kimiko. Chase Young stood by to not interfere with Jack's first moves against the first opponent. Kimiko took notice and jumped from panel to panel to avoid the attacks. Jack took hold of Kimiko's hair and pulled her towards him.

"Ouch! That's my hair!" Kimiko screamed.

"That is not fair," Omi stated.

"Nope," Dojo said as he looked through the rulebook. He moved his glasses closer to the tip of his nose to magnify the words of the book. "It says so right here that pulling hair is fair… In fact, there are a lot of insane things here that are valid."

Kimiko kicked Spicer in the belly and he screamed out in pain. She jumped through an opening of a panel and quickly took hold of one nearest to Spicer. Though she was clutching onto the wood tightly, Spicer could not see that she was still lingering about. He had thought that she was the first one to fall.

Kimiko pulled on his monkey tail and he screamed loudly.

"Hey! No fair!"

"You pulled my hair! How is that not fair?" Kimiko pulled herself back up and repeatedly kicked him. The Monkey Staff fell out of his hand and fell through an opening of the panels.

"No!"

"All right, Kimiko!" her friends shouted.

"Hey, Chase! Why not get in there?" shouted Raimundo.

But he had no interest in hearing Raimundo's calls. He was more focused on studying Kimiko's moves.

Kimiko slowly approached Jack Spicer who was now cowering under a tree branch. She pulled out her Star Hanabi from inside her robes and taunted him. Jack screamed and jumped straight into one of the gaps of the wooden panels to save him self from a humiliating defeat.

"You've always been a fool, Jack Spicer," Wuya murmured.

Kimiko turned to face her last opponent. Chase Young smiled devilishly toward her.

"It's just you and me," Kimiko said.

"You have skills, young one," he said sarcastically, "in stating the obvious!"

Kimiko widened her eyes and blushed under the covering.

"Now let us see if you have skills to defeat me!"

Chase Young attacked first. Kimiko jumped and ran from panel to panel to escape his punches. One kick from him sent the girl flying across the air. She collided against a tree with great force that it had leaned. The Xiaolin Monks gasped in fear that the tree would definitely tip over, since the cliff they were on was connected to the one Kimiko collided against.

"Had enough, young one?" Chase said.

"Not just yet," Kimiko said as she struggled to stand. Her knees felt weak and she was beginning to feel the pain of her swelling cheek. "You haven't seen it all just yet!"

"Surprise me…"

Kimiko jumped against him. Surprisingly, Kimiko was able to strike him against the face with the heel of her foot. Chase only went back a few feet, but regained balance with one leg.

"Anyone wanna' bet on who wins?" Raimundo said.

"Fine," Clay said. "Loser has to do the other person's chores for a month."

"You're on!"

"You'll have to do much more than just a light kick on the face!" Chase shouted.

"Light kick? Looks to me that it was more than that!"

Chase chuckled as Kimiko reached for her Star Hanabi.

"You know you can't win."

"Oh yeah? Enough talk. Let's see what else you have…" Kimiko raised the small golden star in the air and took a deep breath before shouting: "Star Hanabi, Fire!"

Large flames escaped the small object and flew against Chase Young. He exposed his own Shen Gon Wu and loudly exclaimed its name: "Reversing Mirror!"

The flames halted and changed its attack towards Kimiko. She gasped. If she had more time, she could have easily calmed the waves of fire to strike back against her enemy. Alas, the fire only exploded in front of her, which caused her to fall back into a gap.

"Oh no!" she screamed. She took hold of one of the panels.

"You don't seem so confidant now do you, Dragon of Fire? It seems that I am victorious…"

Kimiko struggled to climb back onto a panel. Her arms had weakened and she was too tired to carry on. Chase Young leapt into the air and landed with great force against the panel Kimiko was holding onto. The horrible vibrations of the wood made it impossible to hold on. Her fingers slipped and it was all over.


	3. Winnings and Losses

Ch. 3

Kimiko opened her eyes. Around her, the fellow Monks stood near, encircling her. Dojo slithered onto her chest to inspect her breathing.

"Yup, she's okay!"

"Ugh, get off me, please…" Kimiko sat up with support of Omi.

"Darn! I lost!" Raimundo said.

"Lost what? The last time I checked, I was the one getting my butt kicked!"

"I – I – I mean… Your loss makes it feel as if I lost, too. We all lost…"

"What?" Omi exclaimed. "I didn't lose anything because I didn't play your mindless game!"

Clay's eyes wandered away from Kimiko's glare. Raimundo put his hand behind his head.

"You mean you guys were betting on my loss?"

Kimiko stood up, pushing Omi away. "Well what ever seems fine to you should be fine with me, right?"

"Kimiko," Raimundo said as he placed his firm hand onto her sore shoulder.

Kimiko cringed in pain and pushed him away. "No! I don't need your explanations. As if you could do any better!"

"Now hold on, lil' lady," Clay insisted for his words to be heard, but Kimiko just shook him away from her.

Dojo morphed to the giant reptile that he was. "Let's go home and we'll talk about it there, away from prying eyes…"

From afar, Chase Young held onto the Shen Gon Wu as a proud victor. Wuya lurked behind him and smiled only at the Shen Gon Wu. The shine of the mystical objects not only satisfied her, but only drew her closer to Chase Young as well. She found her nose pressing against his armored plating. He peered down to look at Wuya nearly drooling on him for the Wu.

She looked up to him and raised her hands. "Sorry," she says as she placed an index finger against her chin.

"Why are you looking at them anyway?"

"Trouble is lurking ahead. It will be the biggest challenges the monks will ever face."

Dojo was fighting the current of a light breeze. Each one of the monks had fallen silent on their journey back to the Xiaolin Temple.

Kimiko sat silently far from the others closest to the narrow end of Dojo's tail. The slithering movements Dojo made to fly across the sky caused slow movement of waves across Dojo's scaly body. The young girl only faced her back to her fellow monks. Raimundo and Clay looked at each other and then back at Kimiko.

"I feel like we're in the dog house now," Clay stated.

Raimundo nodded as he looked over to Omi. The young boy was beaming with pride. He knew it was foolish to participate in these bets. Especially now that this had caused a large gap in each other's friendship. _If I was leader_, he thought, _I would never do that to my good friend Kimiko!_

Faster Fung looked up into the sky as the great dragon that was Dojo descended for a landing. Each one of the monks hopped off from Dojo's back and headed toward Master Fung's direction. As he greeted everyone, he asked for the news of the Spear of Lightning.

Kimiko sighed as she stepped forward and looked into Master Fung's eyes. "I lost it… I lost the Spear of Lightning, and not to mention the Star Hanabi."

"I could say it was my fault, too, Master Fung," Raimundo said hesitantly. "I am the chosen leader, but I was not there to help Kimiko when she was trying to fight off Jack Spicer and Chase Young…"

Master Fung put his hand on Kimiko's shoulder. Her icy – blue eyes reflected the light of the sun. A small tear rolled down her cheek. She was too embarrassed to show her sadness and frustration to the others. Master Fung wiped away the tear.

"Not to fret, Kimiko. There will always be losses and winnings. These are one of the things in life that can't always be balanced."

Kimiko curved her lips to form a weary smile. Her tear was not caused by the loss of the showdown, but by the anger of how her friends had underestimated her strength.

"Let's go get something to eat!" Raimundo said.

"I'm with ya' there, er, partner!"

"Are you joining us, Kimiko?" Omi asked.

Kimiko looked down at Omi who was pulling on her sleeve. "Not right now… I suddenly lost my appetite."

Kimiko looked away and traveled through the hallways. Clay, Raimundo, and Omi watched her walk away in despair. Though Kimiko was deeply saddened, it did not excuse them from eating. Every single one of them slowly walked to the dining room for freshly made sandwiches.


	4. The Key

Ch. 4

The evening fell upon the mountainside quite quickly. Raimundo, Clay, and Omi had already finished eating dinner and were piling up the dishes in the kitchen sink. Tonight it was Kimiko's turn to wash dishes. There were no excuses. She was the last to enter the kitchen and took her helping of warm chicken soup with a bit of rice on the side.

The swelling on her cheek had become noticeable. Her cheek had turned from pale to a light purple. She sighed as she ate her soup carefully. It was quite lonesome to eat without her friends to accompany her. Though it had only been a few hours since the Xiaolin Showdown, Kimiko was already missing the sound of her friends' voices.

Footsteps were heard loud and clear. _It's probably Omi_, she thought. Because of her assumptions, she didn't bother turning around.

"I thought you have already dined with the others," a rough voice said.

Kimiko nearly choked on her soup. She coughed a few times before turning her head to see Master Fung standing by the doorway.

"Oh, um, hi!"

"My apologies, Kimiko… It wasn't my intention to scare you."

"Not at all, Master," Kimiko said. She stood from her seat to fetch a bowl for Master Fung. She poured warm soup into it.

She insisted to add rice to his food, but he shook his head to deny her offer.

"Why are you dining alone tonight, young one?"

Kimiko sighed as she sat back down. She took her spoon and whirled the salty liquid around before answering him. "It's hard to be the only girl here, Master Fung. They don't appreciate me…"

"I'm sure they do, Kimiko," he said. He took his spoon and slurped down some soup.

"They always underestimate me. As I fought with Chase Young, they-"

"I know what they did… It was very wrong, but I assure you that Clay and Raimundo feel very guilty."

Kimiko shrugged and drifted her blue eyes toward her food. She looked down at her reflection for a brief moment. The silence was unbearable. Although she has spoken to Master Fung before, she has never dined with him alone. It was very awkward. There was nothing to talk about. And even if there was, would she talk about it with him? These worthless thoughts made her head ache worse than it did in the showdown.

After more minutes of silence, Kimiko had finally broken it. "Master Fung?"

"Yes, Kimiko?"

She sighed and looked at him deeply in the eyes. "Would it be all right if I started training alone?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I feel like it would be best if I trained alone. I would probably concentrate more just having one – on – one classes with you."

Master Fung pushed away his empty bowl. "Though your request seems wise now, it may not be so wise. There is much to teach and much to learn from each other."

"_Please_, Master Fung. When there are lessons to be taught with allies, I'll join in. But for now, I'd like to train alone."

Master Fung looked at her and walked toward the sink. He walked behind her and patted her sore head. "Alright, young monk…" Before walking out of the kitchen, he turned back and looked at her once more. "Drink some tea. Perhaps it can help you with your headache. Oh, and another thing, be sure that you are prepared at the crack of dawn. If you are to train alone, you won't be so alone if you rise with the sun."

Kimiko nodded, forcing a smile to curve on her lips. She continued to eat her soup in peace before heading toward the sink with the dishes she must wash.

#

"I'll have you know meditation is not the answer for everything…" The Heilyn Witch Wuya walked around Chase Young. He was hovering only feet above the cold floors of his palace. He was silent with his eyes closed. Chase Young's only intention was to concentrate in whatever he was thinking of (and to escape into his thoughts away from Wuya's constant annoyance).

He took a deep breath before opening one eye to peer at Wuya who was standing in front of him. "This place used to be quiet before you came along…"

She chuckled and placed a single finger under his chin. "You must admit that I liven the place up."

Chase then opened both eyes and stood from his meditating. There was no need to meditate anymore… Not when a certain someone breaks his needed concentration.

"There's nothing to admit to, Wuya. I enjoy stillness and peacefulness. You seem to only yearn to annoy me."

He walked away from her as one of the tigers followed him to his throne. He sat comfortably. The large wild cat rubbed its head against his hand, searching for its master's attention. Chase Young began to pet the tiger on the head and scratched its ear.

"You know," Wuya started, "no matter how evil I am, your words can still hurt…"

Chase rolled his eyes as he looked up to the ceiling. The sky was darkening. Only a few clouds remained in the sky, slowly unveiling the silver light of the shining moon. He sighed and sat back, removing his hand from the tiger.

"What are you thinking of, Chase?" Wuya asked. Her curiosity can always lead to trouble with him.

"And why would my thoughts interest you?"

Wuya widened her eyes and smiled devilishly toward him. "You're thinking about the events that occurred earlier today, huh?" She laughed mockingly. "You're thoughts are with Kimiko."

"Not in what ever disgusting way you think," Chase stated.

"Oh, but of course," she said, nodding to his reply.

"Her challenge caught me off guard. I've never fought against Kimiko… Well, I had once or twice, but alone in a showdown? _Never!_"

"Of course not," Wuya said as she took a seat beside his throne. "You were always interested in that little…" She lowered her index finger and raised her thumb as if explaining what she had to say "…that little _cheese ball_…"

"I dare say, you would feel as perplexed as I was. Omi shows great potential… Like you didn't doubt Raimundo at first, you'd think twice about having Omi reign beside you."

"You got a point…" She paused. She looked at him and watched as his eyes drifted toward her. Holding her gaze, she takes a deep breath and says, "You're planning something for that girl, aren't you?"

"Wuya… You're not jealous are you?"

"Me? Jealous of a little girl?" She laughed out loud as one the tiger walked to her side and sat beside her bare feet. "Why on earth will I be jealous?" Wuya widened her eyes. "You're not marrying Kimiko, now are you?" she asked in a stern and concerned voice.

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what? No… No! At least, I'm not exactly planning that… There are more things that can be done. Not only to her, but also for the other monks. This plan cannot fail! I _will_ succeed."

"What plan are you talking about, Chase?"

Chase Young looked up to gaze at the stars that had appeared for the night. "Patience, Wuya, and in time you'll understand. And that's the key… _Patience_…"


	5. New Methods

Ch. 5

Young Kimiko Tohomiko followed Master Fung's orders. She so happened to rise almost precisely at the time the sun began to beam out its first rays of light through the mountains.

Kimiko brushed her teeth as quickly as she could and headed out the door of the bathroom. As she walked passed the other rooms, the loud snores of her fellow companions echoed across the quiet hallway. She was dressed in her usual red robes for training. Her hair was the simplest hairstyle she can master with her eyes closed: the one ponytail.

Though the sun was not yet out completely, there was a bit of warmth in the air that was pleasing enough for Kimiko. She, after all, can withstand the heat. (For she is the Dragon of Fire.)

Master Fung was waiting for her by the fountain in the courtyard. Kimiko was perplexed for his chosen location to begin training. He was sitting peacefully. Legs crossed, eyes closed, and mind completely open.

"Master Fung I-"

The old monk placed his index finger against his lips to hush the girl. Dojo was curled around his balding head fast asleep.

Kimiko took this as a fair sign that she, too, must meditate. She sat beside him and crossed her legs. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The sound of the splashing water was soothing to her. In fact, it was so soothing, that instead of meditating, she almost snoozed right off.

She opened one eye to see Master Fung looking at her with a stern expression upon his face. His left eyebrow was raised.

"Was I snoring?" Kimiko asked.

"No… But I can see that you are tired."

Kimiko tried to smile, but the bruise on her cheek got the best of her. She cringed in pain only for a while. Master Fung took a deep breath and ended his meditating session.

"Perhaps now is not the best time to train… You can join your friends later."

Master Fung rose to his feet and started to walk away from the fountain. Kimiko's heart sank and felt as if she had failed Master Fung. She's already failed him enough and she does not want to continue her sloppy work.

"Wait, Master Fung," Kimiko said. "I _want_ to continue. It _is_ the right time."

Master Fung sighed and settled Dojo down on the grass. "It is hard to teach the willing as well as the unwilling."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's nothing to be apologetic for. I've experienced the same thing once when I was your age. The only question is, which are you? Willing or unwilling?"

The conversation was immediately interrupted by the loud yawn of a certain dragon. "Ahh… Can't anyone enjoy a nice sleep once in a while?"

"I insisted for you to sleep on your own bed, Dojo Kanojo Cho, rather than sleeping on my head."

"Oh yes," he said as he stretched outward. "Blame the dragon…"

Kimiko and Master Fung watched him as he slithered back into the halls wearily and disappeared as he turned the corner.

"Master," Kimiko said as she bowed to him. "I am truly ready to train alone. I am willing to train. I won't fail you."

"Your determination is very admirable, Dragon of Fire." Master Fung walked several paces away from her. He then turned to face Kimiko and bent his knees a little, and stretched his arms outward as if mimicking a battling stance.

"What are you doing, Master Fung?"

"Teaching. Today, you will be my student. Sometime during this lesson, we will switch positions: you being my teacher, and I the student. As Raimundo would say, 'show me what you got.'"

Kimiko raised her eyebrow. Her pink lips curved to form half of a smile. She took a deep breath to prepare to attack first, but the tables were turned. Master Fung charged at her with great speed. Even for an old man, he was truly fast.

"Aaaahhh!" he shouted as he attacked left and right, left and right!

"Whoaa!"

Kimiko was kicked over the fountain and landed on a puddle of mud. "This is so not cool…" she muttered.

"Try again," Master Fung insisted.

Kimiko stood from the mud puddle. She looked at him, thinking about where she should target and where he would strike. He raised his index finger and middle finger and joined them both. Then, he flicked them in the air.

_Bring it on? Well, you asked for it! _Kimiko thought.

She ran swiftly toward the fountain, jumped high to reach the ledge, and jumped a second time to reach the top of the statue. She balanced herself though the water was trying to escape the source. Kimiko searched all around the fountain and could not find Master Fung.

"Where could he be?"

In a split second, she heard a sound coming from behind her and saw Master Fung aiming toward her, coming at full speed.

Kimiko gasped and jumped off from the fountain. The water splashed against Master Fung, but it was not enough to stop him. Overwhelmed by the excitement, Kimiko kicked Master Fung away from her, and he flung only feet away from her. He groaned and did not stand up.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Master Fung! I'm sorry… Are you okay?"

Master Fung looked at her as he groaned in pain. He received her hand. Suddenly, Master Fung stood from the ground and pinned her down where he was originally thrown.

"You were doing quite well until you were deceived by the oldest trick in the book. Never leave your post as teacher, Kimiko."

"So I was the teacher?" Kimiko asked as she accepted Master Fung's hand for assistance to stand.

"Only temporarily. Did you not feel like it?"

"I felt like I could have hurt you, actually. It's not the greatest feeling in the world…"

Master Fung chuckled under his breath as he looked at Kimiko. "I am not as young as I used to be, but I am still quite skilled."

"I can see where Omi gets his cockiness from," Kimiko muttered.

Master Fung raised an eyebrow to her and her eyes widened. The young girl blushed and smiled awkwardly to him. "Sorry," she said in a hushed tone.

Master Fung breathed deeply and walked back to the fountain. He sat down and crossed his legs. He then turned only slightly to catch a blurry glimpse of Kimiko standing behind him. He patted the ground softly.

"Come and join me."

Kimiko nodded and sat beside him. She, too, crossed her legs and closed her eyes. They proceeded with the meditation to ease their thoughts and calm the rapid beating of their hearts.

#

Two hours had passed since the early training session. Kimiko and Master Fung were still concentrating on their meditation. Kimiko was concentrating on the warmth in the air, the softness of the grass, the light breeze, and the current of the water in the fountain. Master Fung had focused on the elements of nature as well.

A loud thud of crashing objects surprised the two monks. Kimiko and Master Fung opened their eyes and raised their heads to look above. Chase Young stood before them both. Beside his feet and only inches away from Kimiko's grasp was the Shen Gon Wu she had recently lost from the showdown.

"You have no business here, Chase Young!" Master Fung stood rapidly and pulled Kimiko only inches behind him.

"Oh, but I do, old man," Chase said. He smiled slyly toward Kimiko who poked her head out from behind Master Fung. She joined his side and clenched her fists and bent her knees, preparing herself for an attack. "Oh, I have no need to fight. I only came here to return what you have lost yesterday."

"And why would you do that? To cause me more humiliation?"

Chase Young only chuckled and looked at Master Fung cautiously. "I have no need for these things. I would keep them either way, seeing that they are of great value to my enemies, but you cannot always trust Wuya."

Kimiko's eyes drifted toward the Shen Gon Wu. Yes, they were all there: The Star Hanabi, the Reversing Mirror, the Monkey Staff, and the Spear of Lightning.

"What trickery are you planning, Young?"

"None at all."

Chase Young stepped back five paces to prove to Master Fung that he means no harm. Kimiko retrieved the Wu with great caution.

Chase Young took one step closer, which caused Master Fung to pull Kimiko once more behind him.

He looked down at Kimiko. "Training by yourself is the best choice you can ever make. It gives you time to think who your friends truly are. Surprise them with what you learn, and perhaps you can surprise me in the future…"

Chase Young snapped his fingers and disappeared in a green haze of smoke.

Master Fung looked down at Kimiko who looked up to him.

"Go, Kimiko, take them to the vault and prepare to do your chores."

"Yes, Master Fung…" Kimiko said as she walked toward the large building with the big door.

As he watched Kimiko enter the door, he sighed and looked down at a small butterfly that had landed on his black shoe.

"I fear that this will be most troubling."

The small, colorful insect took flight toward a flower patch that resides near the entrance of the temple. Just one look at the butterfly made Master Fung wonder if Kimiko had chosen to isolate herself from the others because Chase Young intended to make it happen. Did he manipulate her?

#

"How can you just give them the Wu like that?"

"It had to be done…"

"What ever plan it is that you are concocting in that brain of yours better be worth it."

Wuya sat beside the stream as she dipped her bare feet into the cool water. She looked beneath her to pry on Chase Young's reflection. She secretly admired the man, but she didn't want to admit to anything. Even though she tried her best to keep things to herself, it already seemed as if Chase Young knew about her interest in Chase Young. But was she really interested in the man, or was she more interested in the great power that he possesses? And that is what she yearns… Power.

"It will be hard to meet with the young monk once again."

"Why would it be so hard?"

"The old monk had come to notice my behavior. I don't normally give them their toys like that without a price."

"But there will be a price, won't there?"

"All in good time, Wuya. Do you think I'll do things without completely thinking about them?"

Wuya rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. "For a minute you had me worried there…"

#

Raimundo was the first to head to the kitchen. It was very empty, but a big helping of breakfast was scattered all over the table.

"Hm… I better get something before the big guy comes."

"Now, hold on just a minute… Who you callin' a big guy?"

Clay's voice was heard behind him. Raimundo, startled by his presence, turned to look at the large cowboy. He awkwardly laughed and said, "I was talking about Dojo. You know how big his appetite gets…"

"Not the greatest excuse, I'd say," Clay stated as he took a large plate in his hand. "But I'll just excuse it… For now."

Omi walked in happily through the door and reached for his plate. He hopped on his seat to join the other two boys for breakfast.

"Have any of you seen Kimiko? She was not in her room when I called. She is nowhere to be found."

"She couldn't have left… Surely she can't be that mad at us…"

"Nah," Clay started as he struggled to speak with the food in his mouth, "shhe proba-blry already in the training yarrrld."

"Uhh… Come again?" Raimundo said as he looked at Clay with dissatisfaction.

Clay gulped his food and took a big swig of water to wash it all down. "I said she's pro'ably out in the trainin' yard."

"Well that makes more sense…"

After breakfast, the monks found Master Fung facing the horizon. Omi looked around the yard, but found no sign of Kimiko.

"I do not understand… She is not here either."

"Master Fung," Clay said. "If ye' don't mind me askin', where exactly is Kimiko?"

Master Fung turned to greet the monks for their next training lesson. "Kimiko has already trained. She is in the garden tending to the plants."

"Whoa, let me get this straight… She already trained? What's the dilly?"

Master Fung looked at the Shoku Warrior and only said this, "I believe it was her decision."


	6. Certain Interests

Ch. 6

"Okay, we all know that Kimiko has held a grudge before," Raimundo said as he attacked a mannequin with kicks and punches. He stopped for a while and turned to face his companions. His expression was stern, but his eyes revealed sadness and shame. "But this time I think it's serious."

Clay also had attacked the mannequin with a large wooden rod. He didn't quite run toward it. He just tapped the strange – looking thing on the head. "Ya' think or ya' know?"

"Perhaps she needs to time to warm off," Omi said. He was the last to attack the mannequin with his Shimo Staff. Like Clay, he didn't do much harm to the thing. Omi's staff retracted to its small cylinder form.

"I think you mean 'cool down'," Raimundo said.

"That too."

They looked up to see that the mannequin was still standing unharmed. All this thinking has made them less willing to train. If Kimiko was no longer training with them, would this make them vulnerable for attack?

Raimundo caught side of Kimiko walking toward the garden again. He didn't hesitate to stand. "I – I'll be right back, you guys…" And he walked toward the hallways as well.

"Knowin' Raimundo's gotta' temper almost the size of Kimiko, this can only mean trouble…"

"Do you think we should go after him?" Omi asked as he took a seat on the cool grass.

Clay sat beside him and leaned against his arms. "Nah," he replied. "It will be fun, to say the least, if he comes back with some bruises of his own. We should let our leader do some talking."

Omi let out a terrible laugh. "Oh, ho, ho! Yes! Our so called 'leader'!"

Clay giggled along with Omi. From a distance, Raimundo turned around with a clenched fist. "I heard that!"

#

The young Dragon of Fire has headed into the greenhouse. Raimundo brushed his hair back as he approached Kimiko. He doesn't always speak to her alone, but when he does, he feels nervous. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, but then closed it. _What do I say?_ He thought. _What exactly am I supposed to say to a friend who doesn't want to see me?_

Kimiko's head was still turned to her plants. Even though she could not see the boy, she closed her eyes and said, "What do you want, Rai?"

Raimundo was caught off guard and rubbed his hand behind his back. "Oh, um…" He had nothing much to say… "Good morning."

"Hm… Likewise." She extended her hand toward a small pot. There were no flowers besides many leaves. "Is that all?"

Raimundo walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She shook him off and walked to the other side of the greenhouse to tend to the flowers. The greenhouse wasn't so big like the Shen Gon Wu Vault. It was large enough to contain all of Master Fung's favorite plants in (including the secret passage way where the Heilyn seed is still stored).

"No, you have to listen to me!" Raimundo's voice was quite demanding, but still Kimiko had nothing to say, or at least, nothing to say to him. "Master Fung told us that you are training alone now. Why is that?"

"It's none of your business."

"No, it is my business. This decision does not only involve you, but it involves all of us."

Kimiko turned to face the Dragon of the Wind. She glared into his eyes. "I'll have you know, I have my own reasons. Now be cool, and get out of here. You're keeping me from my chores."

Raimundo rolled his eyes and took a step forward toward Kimiko. He put his hands on her shoulders and lowered his head only a few inches to meet her eyes with his. He still had that same expression in his eyes: sadness and shame. Kimiko looked into his eyes and she couldn't help but cringe slightly.

_Please don't tell me he's going to do, what I think he's going to do… _Kimiko thought.

_Whoa! _Raimundo thought. _What am I doing? Am I really doing this?_

A certain dragon halted their thoughts. "Stop what ever you are doing!" Dojo looked at both Kimiko and Raimundo. He raised a brow. Raimundo stepped away from Kimiko and shyly smiled at the reptile. "What ever it is that you are doing…" He said before chuckling under his breath.

"No, man," Raimundo insisted, "It's not like that."

"Oh, I see," Dojo said. "I may be an old dragon, but I am not too old to not understand these things." Dojo had the ancient scroll under his arm. "Anyway, where are the others?" That's when dojo smiled widely and slithered his way up Kimiko's legs and up her torso. He elbowed her and giggled. "Never mind… I see where this is going."

Kimiko looked blankly at the dragon as she pulled him off of her. "You're losing focus, Dojo…"

"Oh, yes! The craziest thing to happen today! Four new Shen Gon Wu have revealed themselves!"

Raimundo ran out the greenhouse. "I'll tell the others!"

Kimiko put her hand on her head in embarrassment. Dojo only looked up at her and smiled slyly.

#

"Ahhh!" Wuya's screams echoed across the palace. "A new Shen Gon Wu has revealed itself! No… Four Shen Gon Wu!"

Chase Young's laugh had ever been so _evil_… Wuya, still glowing with excitement and a need for the new Wu, stopped herself from asking him for permission to seek it.

"Why is this suddenly funny to you?"

Chase Young only smiled at Wuya. "Because the monks don't know what they're in for."

"Oh, yes, and you do? Since when did you begin seeing the future?"

Chase Young joined his hands behind his back and walked to his throne. His All Seeing Eye emerged from the floor. "Everything's going to plan."

Wuya and one of the panthers looked at each other in confusion.

"So does this mean I am not welcome to join their party?"

Chase Young shook his head as he watched the monks in the air with Dojo. He focused on every single one of them, including the monk who had isolated herself in the far end of Dojo's body from her friends.

"Yes, Wuya. It does mean that. But not to worry… You're not missing much."

#

As Dojo flew across the sky, he caught sight of Chase Young's palace. "This is exactly what I feared…"

"Yo, Dojo!" Raimundo shouted. "Please don't tell me that you hid one of the Shen Gon Wu at Chase Young's palace!"

"Don't worry," Dojo said. "Its nowhere in his palace, but it is somewhere near it. The only things I'm concerned about are his jungle cats. They're everywhere…" Dojo slowly started drifting downward. "Next stop, scary jungle!"

Raimundo prepared himself for the landing. Without even discussing it with his comrades, he decided to take part to look for this Shen Gon Wu near Chase Young's palace.

Kimiko looked over to see that Raimundo had already taken out the Blade of the Nebula and the Crest of the Condor. _As if…_ Kimiko thought to herself. _This one is mine._

Before Dojo made it anywhere near the ground, Kimiko stood from the scaly dragon. Raimundo, Clay, and Omi looked at her.

"What are you doing, Kimiko?" Omi asked.

Without answering Omi's question, Kimiko closed her eyes and raised her hands. "Judollete Flip!" And Kimiko jumped head first from Dojo's back and disappeared into the mist.

"Hey…" Raimundo said. "I was going to get this one!"

Dojo shook his massive head. "Tut, tut…" he said. "This is how it all starts. There's no reason to pretend to be mad, Rai. Your secret is safe with me." He turned his head slightly to face Raimundo and winked at him.

Clay and Omi looked most puzzled. Raimundo blushed and widened his eyes. "What? Wait, Dojo you… I mean, I… I mean her… Oh never mind…" He crossed his arms and sat back for the next stop.

#

Kimiko found herself on a branch of a tree. "Whoa," she said to herself. "I didn't think I would be this high!"

She looked down to face the ground. She tried to locate a way to climb down the tree. It only took her a few seconds to get down. She searched for her PDA in a bad she had to store the Wu after she finds it… That is, if she finds it.

"Now what was this thing called?" She looked over her notes and saw a moving image of a small object. It was a tiny man, though she could not quite see it well. "The Defense Warrior?"

She shrugged and made her way through the jungle. As she approached closer and closer to a cave, she had a strange feeling in her stomach. She was quite skeptical, but for some reason or another, she was drawn to go in.

The cave was well hidden with tall blades of grass and big bushes. "This better be where you are… I have no need to ruin another outfit."

She was dressed in black shorts. Her typical ponytail resided on her head, and her favorite pink shirt fit loosely. She was feeling quite comfortable and very confident.

She brushed away some of the grass and bushes and carefully walked in. The cave was dark and quite cool. She extended her hand out and a small flame appeared at her fingertips. As she walked deeper into the cave, she touched the rough walls with her free hand.

Kimiko focused on where she was stepping. There were a lot of stalagmites poking outward from the earth. As she looked down to admire the strange forms, her flame died out and she looked at her hand in confusion. She tried to summon another flame, but it was a large struggle for her.

She tried to use the glow of her PDA as a flashlight. She screamed at the sight of a dark figure standing before here. She squinted and came to notice the reptilian eyes of Chase Young.


	7. Cracks in the Earth

**_Note:_**

_Well, before you begin reading on, I'd like to thank those who have decided to read this fan - fiction of Xiaolin Showdown. This is my first fan fiction ever. So, thank you (again) for your kind reviews. Now sit back and enjoy..._

* * *

Ch. 7

"Chase Young, what are you doing here?"

Chase, witch his arms crossed, looked down at Kimiko with the sly smile he always had on his face. "I was certain you would be here… After all, you are in the midst of my territory."

Kimiko raised her fists. "Hm… Leave it to Dojo to hide the Wu here…"

"It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, great… What is it that you want, Chase? I thought you said that you have no interest in Shen Gon Wu."

Chase Young moved to the side. Behind him, the Defending Warrior was caught on a stalagmite. Chase Young noticed that Kimiko spotted the Wu. Of course he would notice, he was the one to move it there in the first place.

"I do not have interest in the Wu. I came here to help you…" With a snap of his fingers, Chase Young was able to use his Heilyn powers to move the Defending Warrior without the use of his hands.

The Shen Gon Wu floated in front of Kimiko and glowed immensely.

"Take it," he said. "It is yours."

Kimiko was perplexed by Chase Young's assistance. She took hold of the Shen Gon Wu and quickly stuffed it into her bag.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"After hurting my friends, and forcing one by your side, it is very hard to trust your enemies…"

"_Friends?_ And what _friends_ are you talking about?" Chase said. He took a step forward.

Kimiko took a step back and ignored the question. But the more she stepped away from him, the more Chase Young walked forward. Chase found her cowardice very amusing.

"S- s- stay back," Kimiko said. She pushed him away.

Chase Young only laughed at her. "Don't you want to know why I'm really here, Dragon of Fire?"

Kimiko looked behind her to see that she had a great opportunity to escape if she was quick enough. She could have also used this new Shen Gon Wu, but she had no idea what the powers of the Defense Warrior would do. When she turned back to face Chase Young, he was gone.

"I'm over here." His cold, gruff voice echoed through the cave.

Kimiko gasped and turned to see that Chase Young was only inches away from her. Kimiko stepped back another time.

"What is it that you want, Young?"

"I came to deliver a warning…"

"What kind of warning?"

Chase Young looked into the girl's blue eyes. "You yearn to prove yourself. Well, within a few days, a powerful force will invade the world. For this, you must prepare yourself. Do not tell this to anyone, or else."

"Or else? Or else what?"

Chase Young chuckled as he looked down at the girl.

#

From a distance, Raimundo, Clay, Omi, and Dojo were walking toward the cave. Raimundo looked down at Dojo. He slithered around, trying to avoid the large rocks that stood in his way.

"I can't believe the other three were false alarms!" Raimundo said.

"Well hey, I can't remember every name Dashi gave the Wu…" Dojo sighed. The group stopped walking to let the dragon catch his breath. He dropped off each teen in different parts of the world, and somehow managed to get them back after only an hour. Well, he is a mystical creature after all. "I knew there was something weird about those names…"

Raimundo smirked. "You just figured it out? 'The Flying Hotdog'… 'The Moose Horn.'… Oh, or my favorite… 'The Thing'…"

"Will you please stop your chat – chit! We must find Kimiko…"

"I reckon you mean 'chit – chat', lil' partner…" Clay said as he tipped his hat.

"That too… Without us, Kimiko will surely get into trouble."

Clay stepped forward as he gazed carefully into the cave. "Or, she's already gotten into trouble." He pointed toward the cave. From a distance, the Xiaolin Warriors looked awestruck. Chase Young was nearest to the entrance of the cave.

"Chase Young! But why is he here?"

"Incase ye' didn't notice, Omi, this place is only miles 'way from that vermin's palace."

The three warriors (including their noble dragon) ran to aid Kimiko. Chase Young turned swiftly toward their direction and stepped out into the light of the shining sun.

"Crest of the Condor, Blade of the Nebula!"

In an instant, Raimundo's attacks had been manipulated by their foe. Chase Young raised his arms to halt the strong force of the tornado. He threw his arms outward and aimed toward the Shoku Warrior.

"I can see that Master Fung made a wise decision in trusting you, Raimundo…" Chase said lowly. "But of course, I always thought that little Omi would take your place soon after."

Raimundo looked down to face Omi who was preparing himself for the next attack. A large flush of jealousy filled Raimundo with rage. It was a will to prove him self that he is as strong as Omi. He pushed Omi to the side and called the name of his wudai weapons again. Once more, his attacks were manipulated in the air with Chase Young's Heilyn powers. This time, the counter attack made Raimundo fly across the sky and hit a tree.

"You're still up to your old tricks, Chase Young," Omi stated. "I will not let you speak to my friend like that!" Omi brought out his Shimo staff from inside his robes. "Kaijin Charm! Shimo Staff!"

Omi's staff had turned to a large mace. As he ran outward to attack, the little Dragon of Water quickly shouted the name of his element. He banged the mace against the ground and large streams of water appeared in between the cracks. Chase Young jumped out to him and kicked his weapon and then kicked him across the face.

"Your weapons are no good here, Omi." And Chase Young picked him up as he turned to his green, awful reptilian form. Omi yelled for assistance before being thrown against Raimundo.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" Clay flung his weapon, which multiplied to eight before returning to its wielder. Large clouds of dust emerged from the ground, which made it impossible to see if Chase Young had been hit.

As the dust cleared out, Chase was standing in between a ring of boulders that encircled him.

Raimundo pushed Omi off of his body and searched for Kimiko. He happened to spot her slowly emerging from inside the cave.

"Don't just stand there, Kimiko!" Raimundo ordered, "Do something!"

Kimiko, in frustration ran up from behind Chase Young who took hold of her arm and flung her against a boulder. She groaned in pain as she struggled to stand. Clay took the Fist of Tebigong. He called its name and shouted the name of his element as he punched the ground with tremendous force. Such power caused the trees from all around to shake horribly. When the shaking ceased, a cracking sound came from the top of the mountain where the cave resides.

"Now you've done it," Raimundo said under his breath.

He and Omi stood from the round and limped toward Clay.

Suddenly, large boulders began to fall from the ledges and peak of the mountain. Raimundo took Clay from the collar of his shirt and shouted to him, "This is your element! Do Something!"

But there was nothing else to do. Kimiko took notice of the falling boulders. She gasped in fear and looked up to see Chase Young grabbing her hand. Without hesitation, she got up and ran with him in the cave. Regardless of how unsafe it was to run into the cave, it was the only way to escape the clashes of the falling earth. Raimundo yelled out in fear for his friend. Dojo hid underneath Clay's large cowboy hat.

When the avalanche settled, Omi ran to the pile of rocks and boulders and began excavating. "Kimiko! Kimiko! Please tell me that you are safe!"

There was no answer. The thick wall of rocks separated the monks from each other.

"What exactly can you do, Clay? We have to get Kimiko outta' there… Especially if she's trapped in there with Chase Young…"

"Well to be honest, Rai," Clay started as he joined Omi. "To get her outta' there unharmed, we'll just have to continue on doin' what Omi is doin'…"

As Omi picked up rocks, one by one, he looked at his worried friends with confusion. "Is it just me, or did Chase Young save Kimiko's life?"

"It did seem like it, actually…" Clay said.

Dojo emerged from Clay's hat and jumped to Raimundo to cling onto his shirt. "Sss – ss – sss – stop talking! _I can feel it_!" Dojo pressed his nose against Raimundo's face. Raimundo felt very tense and frightened by Dojo's behavior. The dragon took a deep breath before yelling, _"I can feel it!"_

Raimundo pulled Dojo away from his face and let him drop onto the ground. "Feel what, exactly?"

_"The Shen Gon Wu! The Shen Gon Wu!"_

Clay patted Dojo's head to calm him. "Well, where is it?"

Dojo put his head down and sadly pointed toward the wall of rocks. "In there…"

Raimundo sighed. "Well, it's lost for now. We have to find a way to get Kimiko out of there."

"I agree," Omi said. "If Chase Young saved our Kimiko from the rocks, then perhaps he will do something to help her escape the cave."

"Omi, Omi!" Raimundo shouted as he flung his arms in the air. "This is _Chase Young_ we're talking about."

"Correct, my friend," Omi said as he dropped another rock. "But Chase Young has not failed to help us before. Like I've said before, perhaps there is some good in Chase Young."

"And what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"We should head to Chase Young's palace. In time, perhaps Kimiko and Chase Young will arrive there."

Dojo quickly morphed into his giant self. As the others boarded, Raimundo took another last look at the wall of rocks. _We're coming, Kimiko… _he thought.

#

Kimiko kicked the rocks repeatedly. The only thing that came from her effort to escape was dust and a few pebbles.

Chase Young was meditating nearby, but was very well aware of Kimiko's intentions. "Nothing you do will take you out of here, monk."

"If there's a will, there's a way… But where?"

Chase Young got out of his meditation position and walked toward Kimiko. "How about through there?"

Kimiko turned around to see where Chase Young was pointing. The darkness of the cave seemed to frighten her. There was nothing she could see besides their shadows.

"You're not scared of the dark, are you?" Chase said in a gruff laugh as he taunted the girl.

"O – of course not…"

Chase Young looked away from her and started walking deeper in the cavern by him self. He stopped several paces away from her. "Care to join me?"

Kimiko walked to him.

"Perhaps you can shine some light?"

Kimiko held out her palm. In a split second, small flames appeared at her fingertips.

Chase Young looked around the cave floor and spotted a torch. As Kimiko saw him hand it to her, she became more worried. _He probably put it there_… she thought.

The more they walked deeper into the cave, the cooler the breeze felt. If there was a breeze fighting against them, surely there was another way out. Their walking stopped as they came across a large wall. There were no other tunnels to go through.

"Now what?" Kimiko asked. "How exactly is it that you know where we are going?"

Chase Young placed his index finger upon his lips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Concentrate, Dragon of Fire… Follow your instincts."

Kimiko put down the torch and closed her eyes. Both of their movements were in sync. Their arms flowed against the current of the breeze and their legs moved slowly as if harnessing their inner power.

They opened their eyes and jumped in the air, low enough to not hit the wall of the cave, but high enough to make their next move. They twisted their bodies in a 360 – movement and extended their right legs outward. They shouted their battle cry as their feet hit the wall. When they landed on the floor of the cave, the walls shook heavily. Kimiko was impressed by the amount of strength she had within her. (Even though her strength was combined with Chase Young's.) Even though she was proud, the profound shaking of the walls terrified her, and sought Chase Young's arm to cling onto. She was used to doing this with Raimundo, but when she looked up to see that Raimundo's eyes weren't the ones looking down at her, she let go.

The wall before them crumbled and fell onto the ground, leaving a large heap of rock and dirt.

Kimiko peered upward to look at her foe smiling slyly at her. _The trust issues are surely receding… _Chase Young thought to himself as he watched Kimiko pick up the torch and continued to walk onward.


	8. Going as Planned

Ch. 8

"All of this trouble for just one Shen Gon Wu…" Clay said. "I mean, I'm used to it, but I really hate the fact that we got our butts kicked twice in one week…"

The gang remained hidden in the trees, hoping they wouldn't catch the attention of Chase Young's jungle cats.

"What exactly can the Defense Warrior do, Dojo?" Raimundo asked.

Dojo looked into the ancient scroll. "It says here that whoever possesses the Defense Warrior can harness the skills of a Samurai warrior. This allows you to combine your powers with the warrior's skills. It also has a counter – power… Um… You can also summon the spirit of the Samurai to fight alongside you. Can you imagine that? With the power of that Shen Gon Wu, you'd win a Xiaolin Showdown in minutes!"

"I guess I can see why Chase Young wanted it."

"What I find most haunting is that the Shen Gon Wu has the spirit of an ancient warrior trapped inside!" Omi carefully read the paragraphs and watched the movement of the drawings that explained the Wu's powers.

"Do you guys think Kimiko will be okay?" Raimundo said.

He looked over and saw Dojo smiling at him. The little dragon winked. Raimundo rolled his eyes, groaned in annoyance and leaned against the bark of the tree. For a while everything was quiet. The chirping of birds echoed across the stillness of the jungle. The heat had intensified. All monks were sweating and were extremely uncomfortable. Though the leaves of the trees provided much shade, the humidity was enough to slow them down.

Omi was startled by a grumbling sound. "Clay," he said as he looked at the cowboy. "Quiet the ruckus your stomach is making!"

Clay looked at Omi as he rubbed his belly. "Well, sorry partner, but that wasn't ma' belly makin' that noise."

Every single one of them looked downward to face Wuya. She was surrounded by at least ten jungle cats. As she looked at them, she had her hand on her hip and laughed.

"Nowadays, people knock on the door and don't linger around to climb their trees."

The wild cats started to make their way up the tree. Dojo couldn't help but cower in Clay's hat.

#

Chase Young and Kimiko stopped yet another time. They had reached two tunnels that can only lead deeper into the cave, or to freedom. Kimiko put her left hand on her waist as she looked down to see that her clothes were dirty from dust and smudges of grass. She looked up to see Chase Young look both ways.

"Where to now?"

"You tell me…" he said as he looked down to her. He placed his hand on her back. "This is the best time to test your instincts…"

Kimiko focused on the flame of the torch. It danced with the waves of the light breeze. She walked forward to face the first tunnel that was on the right. The flame only seemed to dim slowly. As she walked to the next tunnel on the left, the flames continued to dance with the waves of the wind.

"This way." Kimiko's voice was filled with joy and confidence.

Chase, who had his arms crossed, trusted her decision and followed her through the tunnel. As the breeze became colder and the current of the breeze became heavy, the fire died out and Kimiko had no other choice but to drop the torch. She looked forward once more before the light died out.

"It's another wall. But, how can this be?"

Chase Young stepped forward and firmly pressed his hands against a certain part of the wall. That small section pushed inward and the wall vibrated and opened.

It was a door. And behind the door was the bright light that shone divinely in Chase Young's palace.

#

Clay jumped from the tree as one of the black panthers struck at him. Raimundo was face to face with the Heilyn witch. He had thought about using his weapons against her, but seeing that she had no powers, it seemed like an unfair fight.

Omi and Clay fended off the cats one by one. Their thick and sharp claws dug into their clothes, but they continued to fight.

"What is wrong, Raimundo?" Wuya said as she caught him by the shirt. "What can make you so tense?" She threw him feet away from her and walked back up to her. Raimundo kicked her on the chin before jumping up to stand.

Wuya was still on her feet. It was as if that kick had no affect to her. "Chase is not back yet that can only mean one thing…" She laughed and looked at Raimundo. "Is it because a certain Kimiko is not here? Is that it?"

Raimundo charged back at her with great force. He kept his foot on her chest and she only laughed to taunt him.

"Where is she?" Raimundo said. He was sure that she was held captive in the palace.

Wuya didn't reply.

#

Kimiko looked back at Chase Young. "You mean to tell me that this whole time I was heading here?"

Kimiko ran into the throne room. Her intention was to escape from his palace and find a way to communicate with the others. When she made it there, she was greeted by a group of angry – looking jungle cats. Kimiko gasped and felt weak against them all.

Chase Young appeared behind her. Kimiko turned to face him and reached for her bag. Even though she did not know what the Defense Warrior did, this was the perfect time to test it. But as she searched through her bag, she could not find it.

She looked up to see Chase Young holding both her PDA and the Shen Gon Wu. _How did he manage to get it?_ The young girl's thoughts were interrupted when Chase Young gave off a loud grunt. He threw the PDA against the floor and stomped on it with his left foot. The electronic device shattered into many pieces.

Kimiko glared at Chase Young.

He only laughed at her and tossed back the Shen Gon Wu. Kimiko caught it with her two hands.

"If you were going to give it to me, why go through all the trouble?"

"Tell me something, Kimiko… What do you do when you feel that anger?"

Kimiko raised her eyebrow as she looked at him in confusion. "What do you care?"

"Be honest with me, Kimiko… What do you do when you you're angry? How about when you are scared?" He laughed out loud as he waved to the jungle cats to go away. He then began to remember what had occurred when she grabbed onto his arm. This memory only made him laugh even louder.

The Dragon of Fire realized that he was thinking about what happened in the cave. She only felt more embarrassed and powerless.

"Or what about your friends? When they doubted you… I bet it wasn't the first time that they've underestimated your power…"

She tried to forget about how angry she felt, but how could she? This had only happened yesterday and Kimiko was still angry with them for doing such a thing. Kimiko felt the anger building up at her fingertips. Before she knew it, the young girl's hands began to glow red. The small flames dangerously danced with the flow of the wind. Chase Young's eyes glowed above the light of the fire.

"Good… Embrace your anger."

Kimiko took one step forward and was ready to strike at him with fire.

"Kimiko!" The sound of Raimundo's voice had Kimiko snapping back into reality. She gasped at his sight. The small flames on her hands disappeared.

Chase snarled in discontent and crossed his arms.

"Get away from her!" Raimundo shouted.

Chase did not move. "That won't be a problem. It is her who is coming after me… Is that not the reason why you decided to look for this Shen Gon Wu?"

Kimiko hesitated before answering. Raimundo's eyes widened as he ran toward her. He pulled her back to act as if protecting her. The other Xiaolin monks were standing only feet away from where the situation was occurring.

"She does not have to answer you!" Raimundo said. But for a moment Raimundo thought about Chase Young's question to Kimiko. But it couldn't possibly be true. She wouldn't do that, would she?

Chase glared at the Brazilian boy who had now stood in front of her for protection.

"If you wish to leave without my jungle cats interfering, then do so now. Or else, prepare yourself for another battle…"

Omi walked in front of Raimundo and put him behind him. "Do not worry, we were just leaving."

Rai's anger could have bested him, but he decided to walk away with Kimiko by his side. The gate was open and Clay, Raimundo, and Kimiko walked swiftly. Omi looked down to see that Kimiko's PDA had been destroyed. Omi felt perplexed by the broken device and by Chase Young's strange behavior.

"What ever it is that you are planning, Chase Young, I will assure you it will not work."

"Run along, little monk…" Chase Young turned his back to Omi. "Unless you'd like to stay and play with my jungle cats."

In an instant, the jungle cats appeared from behind Chase. The young Dragon of Water was caught off guard and was startled by the illuminating eyes of the jungle cats. Omi turned around and walked to the others who were waiting for him by the gate. Dojo had already morphed into the giant dragon that he was. His friends were already on his back.

#

Wuya entered the palace only moments after the monks had left. The other jungle cats had walked inside as well. Chase Young was now sitting on his throne, overlooking the room and Wuya.

"Where were you?"

Wuya's robes were torn.

"I fought the monks. Ha - ha - ha... When provoked, I dare say they are very hard to beat. And it seems as though Raimundo has a soft spot for the girl."

Chase Young crossed his arms as he sat back into his throne. "Well that explains a lot."

"So how are things with Kimiko?" Wuya walked to sit by the pool. As she bent down to sit on the edge of the pool, she let out a small groan. Her bare feet splashed into the water.

"Kimiko is very stubborn, but she is learning quite well. In fact, with the proper training, she can even become more powerful than Omi."

"And how long do you think it will take for her to be interested in our side?"

Chase Young looked down to one of the panthers that sat beside him. He placed his hand over its head to scratch his ears. "I can't be so sure that she'll accept any of my offers… Omi is very wise. He can sense what I am up to. He won't allow for any of his friends to follow in his footsteps."

"And what about Raimundo?" Wuya said. "If he does have a soft spot for the girl, don't you think he will also interfere?"

"Even if he interferes, he won't be strong enough to stop me, or her."

Wuya paused for a moment. She looked down at the reflection of the water and suddenly saw blurry images of the Xiaolin monks fighting against them. The only thing that was different was that Kimiko was not with they group. She ran alongside Chase Young and Wuya. These images pleased her... It was like looking into the future.

"And how exactly is it that Kimiko will join the Heilyn side?"

Chase Young uncrossed his arms and stood from his throne. "We must make sure that it is her choice. I will not make the same mistake that I did with Omi. I will not send her to the Ying - Yang World."

"I'll have you know," Wuya said, "that having her make the decision is not so wise. Raimundo double - crossed me, remember?"

Chase tapped his index finger against his chin as he thought for a plan. It was not like Chase Young to be skeptical about his own plans. Though he knew that it was the girl's destiny to join him, he had to think of other ways if his original plan was to fail.


	9. For Her Sake

Ch. 9

Raimundo had made his way through the courtyard. No one was in sight besides the little dragon that was munching on popcorn and sitting on the steps near the kitchen doorway. The evening air was delightful. The humidity in the air had receded and all was like before: fresh and cool. As the sun was beginning to set, the white, puffy – looking clouds had begun to disappear. The silver moon began to appear momentarily.

"Where ya' heading, kiddo?" Dojo called after Raimundo.

The Brazilian boy stopped in the middle of the yard to face his reptilian friend. "I was only heading to my room… why?"

Dojo shook his head as he grabbed another handful of popcorn. "Just wondering…"

The silence was awkward. Raimundo did not know whether to reply to the dragon's conclusion, or to continue to walk to his destination.

"Umm… Okay…" Raimundo tugged on his red tunic. He took one step forward, and Dojo halted him once more.

"Now hold on, hold on… Have you spoken to Kimiko yet?"

Rai looked at the dragon with sorrowful eyes. "No… Why?"

Dojo set the bowl of popcorn beside him. He stretched his tiny, skinny arms outward and bounced off the second step. He slithered near Raimundo and told him to sit down on the ground.

"But I just got these pants washed!"

Dojo put his tiny dragon claws to his sides and looked at the Shoku warrior in discontent.

"Oh, alright…" Raimundo sat down on the patch of grass. "So why is it that you are so secretive?"

"Well, I was talking to Master Fung about the events that happened today, and you'll never believe what he told me about our little firecracker!"

"Who?"

"Kimiko! Are you not paying attention?"

"Oh, sorry…" Raimundo leaned back against his own arm. "What did he tell you about her?"

"Well, Master Fung told me that Chase Young has something planned for either her, or for anyone in the temple. He can sense it… In fact, Omi told him that he sensed something in Chase Young, as well in how Kimiko was defending herself against him in his palace. It was full eye contact, that's what it was…"

"Yes, and so what?"

"Oh, boy, you are not listening…" Dojo smacked Raimundo across the face.

"Ouch! Hey!"

Dojo took hold of his shirt and pulled him close. "Chase Young is planning something and Master Fung believes it has to do with Kimiko. To keep her safe, well, Master Fung is sending her back home…"

Raimundo rubbed his red cheek. "I can't believe you would slap – Wait a minute…" Raimundo pushed Dojo away. "Master Fung is sending Kimiko back to Tokyo? But – but – but, why?"

Dojo rolled his eyes. "Are you not listening? Do I have to slap you again?"

"That's not what I meant, Dojo," Raimundo said as he looked around to make sure no one was around. "We have defended ourselves numerous of times from Chase Young. Does Master Fung believe we don't have it in us to protect Kimiko from Chase Young?"

"It's not so easy, Raimundo. It might be probable that she is not sent home, but elsewhere. It's for safety reasons, my friend."

Raimundo stood from the ground. "I have to talk to Master Fung about this."

Dojo grabbed onto his legs and hugged them tightly. "No! You can't!"

"Well why not?"

"Because this was suppose to be an announcement for everyone until he tells it to her."

Raimundo sighed as he sat back down. Even as the Xiaolin leader, he felt powerless. There was nothing he can do.

High above at the treetops was a curious crow. Its eyes twinkled before it ascended in the air to take flight.

#

In her room, Kimiko was looking through old pictures she had taken since her arrival at the Xiaolin Temple. There was one picture that filled her heart with enthusiasm. In the picture, she was standing beside Raimundo. Clay had Omi standing on his head with great balance. The cowboy's hat was on Omi's large head. Master Fung and Dojo appeared in the back smiling. Kimiko smiled and remembered how the picture was taken. She can almost hear her friends' laughter as she looked into the past.

The young Dragon of Fire lay back and felt a tear escape her cheek. After unleashing her memories of a long time ago, the memories of what had occurred today were beginning to flood her mind. Her intention was to escape her friends and cool off as she searched for the Defense Warrior… It were _not_ to go looking for Chase Young, of course… Or was it?

She began to remember the questions that had made her feel so powerless and angry. "_What do you do when you feel angry? …Friends? What Friends?"_ Chase Young's voice was loud and clear in her mind. _"It was her who was coming after me… Is that not the reason why you came looking for the Shen Gon Wu?" _

In frustration, Kimiko let out a terrible cry and flung her pillow across the wall. She hid her face in her arms as she felt her eyes fill with tears.

"You can't let him get the best of you," Kimiko said to herself. "You are a Tohomiko. You can't possibly be upset over some dumb things Chase Young said…"

Her friends… Who are her friends? Kimiko turned back to face the picture. The events that had happened yesterday came back to haunt her as well. _Bets… Lies… Friends? He was right. Who are my friends? - No… You cannot let that get into your head. _

The thoughts flooding her head were beginning to become a nuisance. Her head was beginning to ache more than it did the other evening during dinner.

There was a sudden knock at her door. Kimiko snapped back into reality and turned to face Master Fung who looked down at her. He stood by the door with Dojo at his feet.

"I was wondering if you were going to come and eat, Kimiko…"

Kimiko looked down at the dragon that could only look at her if she was looking away. She nodded.

"Well, your friends are waiting… If anybody needs me, I'll be at the Shen Gon Wu vault."

"Yes, Master Fung."

Dojo slithered up Master Fung's leg and up his torso to reach his head. Master Fung walked slowly away.

Kimiko peered by the doorway to watch the old man and the dragon disappear into the darkness of the hallway.

It was then when she began to hear Chase Young's voice in her head again… taunting her… _"…Friends? What friends?"_

#

The black bird flew over the jungle grounds. It screeched violently and all of that echoed across the land. It was some sort of warning for his master to take notice that the servant was now coming home. Its wings stopped its flapping as it swooped through the front gate of Chase Young's palace.

The evil lord was sitting on his throne. Wuya and the other tigers were not in sight. His eyes brightened up as he saw the black bird flying toward him. The crow screeched again, only lightly.

The crow perched on Chase Young's shoulder and hissed into his ear as if speaking to him. When the hissing ceased, the crow crawled down to the wooden handle of the chair.

"So, the old monk is thinking of sending Kimiko away?" Chase Young shook his head as he summoned his the crystal eye.

The large, round object that served as Young's spying gear emerged from the palace floor. It was large and very round. The large stem that connected it to the ground pulled itself out and seemed to dance like a mesmerizing snake.

The eyelids of the crystal eye opened at Chase Young's touch. With complete concentration, the amazing images of the Xiaolin Temple appeared momentarily.

#

Omi sat beside Kimiko. As the others gobbled down their helping of pizza and other goods, Kimiko stared at her plate. She didn't feel so hungry, but she took nibbles of her food anyway. The girl did not want to worry her friends.

"Ya' look might glum, there, Kimiko," Clay said as he took another slice of pizza from the box.

"Oh, it's nothing, Clay," Kimiko said wearily. "I was just… thinking."

Raimundo was doing some thinking of his own as well. He kept remembering what Dojo had told him earlier in the courtyard. Ever since they had arrived at the Xiaolin Temple, it has always been the four of them: Raimundo, Omi, Clay, and Kimiko. And what can happen if she is no longer fighting alongside her comrades? Will they be in danger just like the times Omi was gone, or when Raimundo was gone? Raimundo could not afford to think like that, but it was not his fault.

Kimiko felt awkward as Raimundo stared at her from across the table. Perhaps he was as skeptical as she was about what had happened at Chase Young's palace. _Or… _she began to think. _Or… it could have been about what happened earlier in the greenhouse. _Kimiko's cheeks felt hot. She looked at her reflection from her spoon and realized she was blushing.

Raimundo raised an eyebrow at her and smiled lightly to her.

"Are you okay, Kimiko?" Omi asked. "As clay would say, 'you look redder than a lobster under the sun!'"

Clay looked at Omi in surprise. "Well, I'd say something like that, but indeed, not _that_…"

Kimiko gave off an awkward laugh as she got up from her chair. "I need fresh air…"

Raimundo looked at Kimiko pick up her plates. He playfully said, "Well, you do know that I am the Dragon of the Wind…" He winked at her.

Kimiko's eyes widened and tried her best not to laugh at his silly remark. "Yeah, right…"

She placed her plate in the sink and walked away.

Clay only smacked Raimundo in the back and laughed. "Whoo – whee! Raimundo, you sure are a hoot!"

Raimundo looked back at Clay angrily.

"I do not understand," Omi said. "Of course she knew you were the Dragon of the Wind…"

Clay leaned across the table to whisper to Omi about Raimundo's flirting. That is when Omi gave out his terrible laugh. "Oh! Ho – ho! That explains everything!"

Raimundo snarled under his breath and jumped up on the table to catch Clay's hat.

"Hey! You give that right back, ya' hear?"

"I hear you, Clay…" And Raimundo dashed right off.

Clay ran after him as he mumbled some gibberish under his breath. Omi stayed behind as he continued to eat.

#

Kimiko turned around, startled as she watched Raimundo running toward her. She moved to the side and pushed herself against the wall.

"You gotta' run faster than that, Clay!"

She turned to face Clay running behind him. He picked up the pace as he grew closer and closer to Raimundo.

Kimiko shook her head and smiled. This is what Chase Young didn't know… They truly were her friends… Even if Raimundo's jokes were a little carried off.

Kimiko walked through the darkness of the hallways. She had a strange feeling unraveling within her, but she could not understand what it could possibly be.

The door in the Shen Gon Wu vault was open. Though she did not need anything from Master Fung, she intended to bid him a good night. She walked lazily through the yard, passing the pond and training yard.

She peered inside the door and saw that Dojo and Master Fung were discussing silently over the open flame of the cauldron.

"I'm telling you, Master Fung," Dojo insisted for his words to be heard. "Sending her away is not the best option. You know very well that he'll look for her there."

Master Fung scratched his beard and walked around the cauldron. "You make a very good point, Dojo. But still… Kimiko must be safe. And she'll be safer away from here."

"What are you saying, Master Fung?"

"I am saying that perhaps it'll be best to send her to the only man Chase Young cannot really beat."

"And who is that, exactly?"

"Master Monk Guan."

Kimiko gasped loudly. Master Fung turned over to face the door. Dojo slithered to the opening and poked his head out to see the intruder. There was no one there.

He slithered back inside and closed the door.

Kimiko was hanging onto the gutter from the building. When she heard the door slammed shut, she jumped off and landed on her two feet. Sadness built within her. _I can't believe they're sending me to Master Monk Guan…_

#

"So, it is true… The old man is sending Kimiko away." Chase Young waved his hand in the air. The crystal eye pushed itself back into the floor and banished, leaving no trace of its existence. "And of course… It will be a matter of time before I interfere."


	10. Opportunites

Ch. 10

Days had passed. Master Fung had not mentioned anything to Kimiko about his decision to send her away… Perhaps he forgot? But could he forget? Unless he was kidding about sending her away…

Ever since Kimiko found out about Master Fung's plans, she had dropped her ideas of training alone and joined the others every morning. It was a good thing, too. She had grown very tired of waking up at the crack of dawn and she was beginning to miss their company.

Omi jumped in the air as high as he could over the pond, and made a 360 – turn as he called the name of his element. The water of the pond came up as small streams that wrapped around his small body and arms. The small nine dots on the boy's round, bald head glowed as he harnessed his inner Chi. He planned to aim toward Kimiko who was prepared to strike back.

Kimiko lifted a knee to her chest and raised her arms to perform her defense stance. It was the similar stance that she had made during her first training session with Master Fung. Omi let out a battle cry as he flung his arms toward Kimiko. The streams of water became large currents of a river that pushed forward with amazing force. Kimiko gasped as she jumped back, once, twice, and thrice. She then called for her element and twirled rapidly as a large tornado of fire emerged from her body and spread onto the ground. Omi's strikes had become useless, now. The water had turned to steam.

Omi raised his right eyebrow as he came back down to the ground. Kimiko ceased her twirling to avoid any possible damage to the training yard. It was her turn. She jumped forward to proceed another attack.

Behind them, Clay and Raimundo fought their own little battle by the obstacle courses. Raimundo was wearing his black tunic at the time for his training. He had not worn it in a while since he was chosen, but for any reason, he decided today was a good day to wear it since the air was nice and cool.

Clay summoned his element by shouting its name. A large gust of wind aimed only at Clay. He took hold of his cowboy hat with all his might. Then, the gust of wind ceased and the great cowboy fell forward, face first. Raimundo let out one of his laughs. It could have been one of his greatest pranks yet!

"Oh, you've asked for it," Clay said.

Clay summoned his element and stomped hard onto the ground. When nothing appeared, Raimundo only laughed harder. Suddenly, beneath Raimundo's feet a rumbling sound emerged. He looked down, wide - eyed and jumped as a large, pointy spike made of stone swiftly made its way up the ground.

For everywhere Raimundo stepped another spike came up. "Whoa, whoa! Clay this is training, not an execution!"

Clay stopped the spikes from coming from pure concentration. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as all the spikes came back down to the ground. When the big cow boy opened his eyes, Raimundo was no longer in sight. Baffled, the cowboy turned, looked left and right.

"Looking for me?" Raimundo taunted.

Clay looked upward and saw the Dragon of the Wind floating above him. Raimundo summoned his element once more and charged toward the cowboy.

Kimiko and Omi were still fighting amongst themselves.

"You fight very well for a girl!" Omi shouted as Kimiko continued to strike at him with punches and kicks.

Kimiko stopped her attacks and looked at Omi angrily. "_For a girl?_ Excuse me?"

Omi slyly smiled at his friend as he said, "You are excused." It was then when Omi struck Kimiko on the head with his Shimo staff. Kimiko fell back and rubbed her head out in pain.

Omi laughed.

Kimiko then looked at Omi with teary eyes. She began to rub her eyes. "Oh, why would you do such a thing to me, Omi… I thought… I thought we were friends."

The little Dragon of Water dropped his weapon in the air and walked toward her. "I am sorry, Kimiko. Are you okay -Whoaaa! Ummff!"

The Dragon of Fire grabbed onto his sleeve and flung him outward to the ground. Omi collided with the ground and he looked into the sky nervously. "I was tricked by a girl!"

Kimiko laughed as she wiped away the tears. "Never underestimate a girl, Omi."

Omi nodded as she helped him stand. "I'll have to remember that next time."

The two friends walked toward Clay and Raimundo who were still fighting against them selves. Raimundo summoned another gust of wind that blew dust into Clay's eyes. To stop the wind from hitting him, Clay stomped onto the ground and a large wall of rock emerged. Raimundo was not paying attention and he flew right through the rock. The wall crumbled and broke into two. It had caused him to fall from the sky and onto Clay.

"Oh, that hurt," Raimundo said as he got up from Clay's large body. "I can't tell if I won, or you won…"

"And why's that, partner?"

"Because the wall hit me and I fell. I can't fight anymore… But, I fell on you and according to the rules of wrestling, I pinned you."

"But this wasn't a wrestlin' competition, partner…"

Raimundo helped the cowboy stand from the ground. "Let's just call it a tie."

Clay agreed and shook Raimundo's hand. As Raimundo tried to let go, Clay wrinkled his eyebrows and flung Raimundo into the air and onto the ground behind him. "And let's call that a tie – breaker, lil' partner…" Clay laughed as he walked toward the others.

Master Fung appeared from under a tree. As Raimundo struggled to stand, Kimiko, Omi, and Clay bowed to their master. Everyone was sore, but was still willing to continue Master Fung's lesson.

Raimundo hobbled toward the group who was now sitting on the ground. He plopped right onto the ground in pain.

Kimiko giggled at him, which only caused Raimundo to lightly smile at her.

"As time goes on, your skills improve although it does not seem like it," Master Fung stated as he looked at every single one of his students. "With this competition, you should have come to know that you work together well, but you have your own differences with each other. Water and Fire are not the greatest allies. They seem like natural enemies. When you look closely, water seems invincible over Fire. But Fire can conquer water with enough strength and power. Such powers and strengths are helped from the air… Or in this case, the wind…"

At Master Fung's statement, Kimiko turned to look at Raimundo who was already looking at her. He smiled at her. Kimiko cracked a smile and blushed lightly.

"…But even when provoked, these two allies can easily become enemies. And, well, Earth does carry these three elements, but they can easily become enemies."

The Xiaolin Monks looked at each other with quizzical expressions.

"But master," Omi said. "We will never turn against each other."

Clay shook his head. "It's happened before, lil' partner… Who's to say it won't happen again?"

Raimundo then remembered what Dojo had told him about Chase Young and the possibilities of certain plans or Kimiko.

"I understand that it had happened before, but no one has ever truly betrayed the others. Though some of you had faced such circumstances, you have not truly become evil. This is why I've made a decision. Each one of you is strong enough to harness the power of your element. Each one of you will face challenges through out this month and the next so I can determine who will rise as a Shoku Warrior to join Raimundo."

The group of Xiaolin Monks looked at one another with smiles on their faces. They murmured to one another about how exciting the opportunity is.

Omi raised his hand and looked at Master Fung. "Master, I was wondering that if we all become Shoku Warriors like Raimundo, will his position as Shoku Leader be up for bringing?"

Raimundo raised an eyebrow annoyingly at the little monk. "I think me means, 'for the taking.'"

This question only intensified the moment. The Wudai warriors looked at Master Fung with great curiosity.

"This decision can only be made through a Xiaolin Showdown, if Raimundo so wishes to wager his leadership.

Raimundo crossed his arms and proudly looked at Omi, whom was looking back at him with a red face. Raimundo took out his tongue. Kimiko turned to see him and raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. In embarrassment, Raimundo snapped his tongue back into his mouth and awkwardly laughed.

#

The Crystal Eye retracted into the floor of the palace. Chase Young walked down the steps from his throne.

"So the monks have an opportunity to become Shoku…." Wuya said. She walked toward Chase Young and placed her hands onto his armor.

"Yes," Chase Young said as he placed his finger onto his chin. "And if we continue our plan, young Kimiko will be taken away from the opportunity."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I can't say… As a Shoku warrior, she can unleash more power from her element, which will be beneficial… And if she does not rise as one, she can be weaker than the others."

"But, if she does not rise as a Shoku Warrior, you can always take her under your wing…"

Chase Young moved away from Wuya's hold and walked toward the pool. "Yes, but it won't be so easy. Even though Kimiko is easy to deceive she is still very wise. She won't believe what I say."

Wuya chuckled. "She's leaving the temple, Chase. She's being taken away from all her friends."

"But she will be entering Monk Guan's temple."

"And so what? That has never stopped you before. The plan can still be carried on. My visions do not lie, Chase."

The man turned around to see Wuya. She crossed her arms as he looked at her. He smiled devilishly. "I suppose you are right, Wuya… Then if Kimiko does not become a Shoku Warrior, then I will make sure she gets the proper training to fulfill it."

#

Dojo's screams were heard from afar. The group of Xiaolin Monks turned to see him slithering around the courtyard. The ancient scroll was under his arm.

"Shen Gon Wu alert!" he shouted.

"What is it, Dojo?" Omi said.

The little dragon unraveled the scroll and placed it onto the ground for all to see. As he opened it, the images in the center of the scroll moved as the dragon explained the Shen Gon Wu's powers. "It's called the Traveler's Globe. It allows the possessor to turn into a huge, round ball. It's great to pin down your opponents."

"And why was it named 'Traveler's Globe'?" Raimundo asked.

"Beats me…" Dojo said. "Dashi named the Wu."

The large dragon was waiting for them by the front gate. The monks prepared themselves to mount Dojo's back. As Kimiko sat down behind Omi, Master Fung called her name.

"Kimiko," he said. "I think it is best if you stayed behind."

"But why?" she asked.

Everyone looked at her. Their lingering expressions of confusion made Kimiko more nervous. Suddenly, she began to remember the discussion Master Fung had with Dojo to relocate her. _Oh no… He's really going to do it… _she thought.


	11. Master Monk Guan

_**Note:**_

_I really want to thank you all for reading and reviewing this. Hopefully you are enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Sit back, relax, and read on... :) _

* * *

Ch. 11

"… But why?" Kimiko has not yet received an answer from Master Fung.

"It's okay, Kimiko," Omi insisted. "You stay and we'll go after the Shen Gon Wu."

Kimiko dismounted the large reptile. She walked toward Master Fung as Dojo ascended to the sky. The old monk didn't say much to Kimiko. He only told her to head into the meditation hall where Master Fung spends most of his afternoons.

She followed him through the courtyard and through the hallways. The meditation hall was empty except for a few large pots that held plants. Each pot was in every other corner of the room. Kimiko noticed that most of them needed watering, but she didn't bother to tell Master Fung. Though the curtains were spread apart, little light was able to shine though the room. There were lamps in three corners that gave off a warm glow. Even so, they weren't bright enough to illuminate the whole room.

There was one part of the room that impressed Kimiko. It was the highest part of the room where Master Fung was sitting with his legs crossed. His back was turned to her, and at this point Kimiko didn't know what she was suppose to do. Meditate? Was she supposed to meditate with him like the previous time?

Kimiko silently walked to the three steps where the high floor was. It was some sort of stage Master Fung had here. During thunderstorms, Master Fung usually gave his lessons there.

"Kimiko," Master Fung said. His voice was somewhat raspy as it always had been, but he said it in a way that was most unsettling to Kimiko. His voice wasn't as loud and demanding as it always been. This time, it was low and a bit gentler despite the raspy sound to it.

"Yes, Master Fung?"

The teenage girl has been dreading this moment for days now. She knows it's going to happen. Of course there was no possible way Master Fung was going to forget. How could he?

"Please water the plants for me…"

Kimiko felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders. She sighed in relief. "Oh, of course, Master Fung…"

As Kimiko made her way down the three steps, Master Fung's voice rang out again, only to say, "And when you are finished, I was hoping we could talk."

Kimiko turned around to face the man. "Talk? Talk about what?"

Master Fung sighed. "A certain matter that needs to be attended to…"

#

"Clay, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

"Name yer game, Spicer!"

The red – headed Goth looked both all around him. Suddenly, the inspiration for a showdown hit him. "Ah – ha! The game is log hopping. Last one to finish the obstacle course loses."

Clay looked beneath him. His friends were eyeing him cautiously. "I accept yer challenge, Jack. My Third Arm Sash against yer… Yer… What exactly is it that ya' have left?"

Jack raised his index finger. "One moment, please…" He let go of the mystical object that looked similar to the Orb of Tornami. The only difference was the jagged patterns that were around the thing. Also, it was a bit smaller. Jack Spicer searched his pockets and finally took out the Wu he was going to wager. "The Changing…! _Chopsticks?_"

Clay, Omi, Raimundo, and Dojo couldn't help but holler their laughter against Jack Spicer.

"Hey! Hey! It's not funny, okay!"

Clay, who was still laughing, wiped away a tear from his cheek. "Of course it isn't, Jack. Whoo – whee! I haven't laughed like this since… well, a few days ago when Raimundo humiliated himself in front of -!"

Clay peered downward to see Raimundo. He had his arms crossed and was eyeing the large cowboy carefully.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Can we _please_ get this over with?"

"Well, since ya' asked nicely…"

The boys stood in front of each other, face to face. "Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

The logging factory nearby morphed higher than it originally was. The trees surrounding the self – proclaimed Evil Boy Genius and his enemies shook with a lot of force. This sent Spicer and Clay flying in the air. The Traveler's Globe floated in the air and flew straight across the river and into one of the windows of the factory.

Hundreds of logs were floating in the river and were heading to an opening of the factory.

"I guess this is what he meant 'bout jumpin' logs…" Clay mumbled as his clothes magically changed to his black, Wudai robes. Luckily for him, the cowboy hat was not missing from his wardrobe.

Omi was wearing his Wudai robes as well. When he turned to see Raimundo, the Shoku warrior was wearing his black tunic. A black hood went over his head and in addition to the hood, a black scarf also appeared to cover his mouth. The Shoku Leader's robes were similar to his Wudai robes. The yellow sash across his waist made him stand out a little more from the group.

Omi crossed his arms. _When I become Shoku Warrior, I'll look much better in those robes! _Omi thought…

"Don't count on it," Raimundo said.

Omi stared at Raimundo in bewilderment. Raimundo laughed at the little monk as he held the Mind Reading Conch in his hand.

#

Master Fung watched as Kimiko poured the remaining water from the canteen into the last pot. The Dragon of Fire set down the large watering canteen and wiped away the sweat above her brow.

"Now what was it you wanted to speak to me for?"

Master Fung asked her to take a seat beside him. They both sat beside each other on the top step of the little stairs. It took a while for Master Fung to think about what he was going to say. He would open his mouth and then close it again.

"I know what you're going to say," Kimiko said wearily. She felt tears build up in her eyes, but she tried her best to contain them. "You're sending me away, aren't you?"

Master Fung played with his small beard as he looked over the hall. It's vast emptiness made him feel somewhat empty inside, too. It was a struggle to have to send one of his students away, but if it was for safety precautions then it must be done.

"So I suppose you were the one sneaking around the vault the other day."

Kimiko nodded. She put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands. "I don't want to go, Master Fung."

The old monk sighed. He patted the girl's back. "There, there, Kimiko. The relocation will not last forever. You'll be back right before you know it."

"And why must I leave?"

Master Fung looked at the girl. "I thought you already knew."

_"Chase Young…"_ The way Kimiko said his name was in such a cruel way… It was almost indescribable. The tone of her voice made it seem as if she was planning vengeance against the Evil Lord.

Master Fung nodded. "You will leave at once."

"What do you mean _'at once'_? Are you saying that I'm leaving today?"

#

Clay hopped to reach the next moving log. As he did so, the Evil Boy Genius tried what ever he could to make sure Clay would fall into the water. What ever he did to stop the cowboy, none of his tactics worked. It didn't matter to Jack anyway, he was still ten logs away from Clay.

"Third Arm Sash! _Earth!_"

Clay aimed toward Jack Spicer. The Evil Boy Genius screamed his girlish scream before he shouted, "Changing Chopsticks!" The Goth shrank down to the size of a grain of rice.

Even though Clay missed, he still managed to hit the log. This caused Spicer to go flying across the air and splashed into the river. "No fair!" his little, inaudible voice rang out.

Clay reached the entrance of the factory. The inside of the building was quiet. In fact, it was too quiet. This was not normal since it was next to a river. It seemed harmless, but when he took a step forward, large logs began to fall from the ceiling. Clay yelled in horror as he ran as fast as he could to avoid being hit by the logs.

Jack, who was now in his full size, was waiting for the falling of logs to cease. But it was not at all fun and games for him. When he took a step forward in the factory, the raining of logs started again. Jack called out the name of his Shen Gon Wu and he crammed himself into the small cracks between the wooden floor panels.

"Whoa, Nelly!" Clay shouted as he ran back downstairs. A log was rolling downward quite fast. "Third Arm Sash!" The blue sash stretched outward and took hold of a metal rod that was sticking out from the wall.

The large cowboy looked downward to face Jack who was screaming for his life. Clay rolled his eyes and held onto the rod with his two hands. He summoned the sash once more to pick Jack up from in between the wooden panels and plopped him onto the stairs.

"Changing Chopsticks!" And Jack Spicer morphed back to his regular self. "So long, Xiaolin loser!"

Clay let go of the rod and landed in front of Jack. "Third Arm Sash! Earth!"

The sash hit the wall with tremendous force. When both competitors looked up toward the ceiling, more logs made their way down. Clay ran swiftly across the second floor. In front of him, the Traveler's Globe glowed immensely. Clay took hold of it and the showdown was all over.

Jack Spicer watched as his Changing Chopsticks floated away from his grasp.

Raimundo, Omi, and Dojo ran to Clay who was holding onto the Shen Gon Wu as a proud victor.

"Way to go, Clay!" Raimundo exclaimed.

Dojo morphed into the giant reptilian form. "Let's go home."

"Oh, yes! Kimiko will be happy to hear about Clay's victory." Omi was the first to hop onto Dojo's back.

Raimundo looked back to look at Jack who was being held upright by one of his robots.

#

Dojo peered downward as did the others who were riding on his back. From above, the giant reptile spotted Kimiko by the entrance of the Xiaolin Temple. Master Fung was standing beside her with his hands behind his back. The only thing that surrounded them both was the environment the temple provided for them, and not to mention several suitcases.

Dojo descended from the sky and quickly morphed to his usual – self. Raimundo, Clay, and Omi ran toward the sad girl. Before any of them could speak, Kimiko walked up to them and managed to hug every single one of them. Clay dropped the Wu he had recently won and put his left hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on?" Raimundo said. He looked around to see the suitcases that were surrounding Master Fung. _Dojo was right… Master Fung really is sending her away._

Kimiko let go of her friends and stepped back. She held her hands together and felt so heart broken. It was as if she was being punished and the only way to punish her was from sending her far away.

"Kimiko is leaving the Xiaolin Temple."

Omi let out a terrible cry as his small eyes widened. Tears began to emerge from beneath his eyelids. He ran the Kimiko and hugged her tightly. "Oh, no! Kimiko! My good friend is leaving forever!" The Dragon of Fire felt her bones crack to Omi's great strength. Her face began to turn red.

"Easy there, partner," Clay said. He pulled Omi away gently from Kimiko. "Yer gonna' break 'er!"

"Kimiko is not leaving forever," Master Fung said. "She will be staying with Master Monk Guan for… a while."

"And how long is _'a while'_ exactly?" Raimundo said as he took a step forward.

"Do not worry, Raimundo. The time will fly by quicker than you least expect it. Kimiko will return."

"Master," Omi said as he wiped away the tears on his cheek. "But why is our friend leaving the temple? What has she done to deserve such punishment?"

"Now, now, Omi… Sending Kimiko to Master Monk Guan is not a punishment…"

_"Not a punishment? Did he ever tell you how he had us working like dogs the last time we went there?"_ Raimundo shouted.

Master Fung raised a bushy eyebrow toward his student. Raimundo smiled awkwardly and stepped back.

"Heh, heh… Sorry."

"I just can't believe yer leavin', Kimiko. It ain't gonna' be the same 'ere without ya'…"

Kimiko tried her hardest to not cry as she looked toward her friends. "It's alright, guys… Goodbyes don't last forever."

Dojo interrupted their intimate moment as he pushed Omi away. "Sorry to intrude, but… Kimiko! Kimiko! Don't leave, Kimiko!" The small reptile slithered toward the girl who looked nervously at the dragon. She groaned as he jumped onto her head and clung onto her. He rubbed her head gently. "I can't believe you're leaving, kiddo'!"

Master Fung shook his head. "Please, Dojo…"

Dojo let go of the girl who rubbed her head. She wasn't sure if leaving would be beneficial to her well being… She certainly does not want a broken bone or a broken skull.

"And who will be taking her?" Dojo asked impatiently.

Master Fung looked upward to gaze at the bright blue sky. Every single monk and the little dragon looked upward as well. A large, pink and blue body flew across the stillness of the sky. Everyone was surprised to see another dragon flying over their heads. When its massive body descended, a tall, muscular man dismounted its back.

"Ah, Master Monk Guan, it's so nice to see you." Master Fung bowed at the sight of the great man.

Master Monk Guan also bowed at Fung's sight. "It's good to see you, too, my friend."

Monk Guan turned his head over to face Raimundo. "Ah… I see that Master Fung made an excellent choice."

Raimundo beamed at Monk Guan's compliment. Omi only crossed his arms and looked away.

"Who is she?" Clay asked as he gestured his head toward the pink reptile.

Before Monk Guan answered, Dojo shook his head and looked at the reptile. "Minh, long time no see…"

The female dragon shrunk herself to equal the size of Dojo. She was only slightly bigger than him by an inch or two. She crossed her tiny, scaly arms. "Oh, Dojo Kanojo Cho…" Her voice was more vibrant and less gruff like Dojo's.

"It's nice to see you again," Dojo said as he straightened his back.

"I wish I could say the same thing… You forget that you left me stranded with that ungrateful Chucky – Choo…"

"Wait a minute," Omi interrupted. "You know Chucky – Choo?"

"Know him? Ha! He is the biggest thief any dragon out there knows." Minh shook her head. Dojo only giggled to the sound of annoyance in her voice.

All attention is then directed to the young teenage girl whose eyes were still expressing hopelessness and sadness.

"Dragon of Fire," Master Monk Guan said, "are you prepared for the journey that lies ahead?"

Kimiko turned to see her friends. "To be honest… No."

Omi emerged from behind Raimundo. He tugged on Monk Guan's sleeve. "If it is alright with you, Master Monk Guan… Can Kimiko _please_ stay for a while longer? We would love to bid our last farewells to her."

Master Monk Guan turned to face the small pink dragon. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she stretched out her arms. She faked a yawn before saying, "You know I am very famished…"

Monk Guan nodded in approval to Omi.

#

"The old monk is carrying out his plan."

Wuya walked away from Chase Young's Crystal Eye. The evildoer was meditating feet away from his throne. He breathed in profoundly through his nose and let his breath escape through his mouth. He shook his head, making his long dark hair wave behind his back.

"I know…" Chase Young said.

Wuya walked toward him and stopped in front of him. The Evil Lord opened his reptilian eyes to look at the Heilyn Witch that stood before him.

"She is only staying a while longer… And Guan has that other dragon with him."

"Other dragon?" Chase Young got out of his meditation position as he walked toward Wuya. "What other dragon?"

Wuya seemed nervous when Chase Young gets excited. She wrinkled her eyebrows. "Umm… A female dragon… A pink one… They call her 'Minh'."

"Minh? Ah, yes, I remember Minh… Besides Dojo, that other dragon helped Dashi a lot before I betrayed him and Guan…"

"Who is she?" Wuya said.

"Minh is larger and much stronger than Dojo, Wuya. It will be a bit harder to fulfill my plans. She must be… _destroyed_."

"Rubbish! If you destroy Minh, how will you then succeed in gaining Kimiko's trust?"

Chase Young turned away from Wuya's gaze and walked toward his Crystal Eye. "You have a point, there, Wuya… But if Minh lingers around, how will I succeed? That dragon cannot be there when I'm fulfilling my duties."

"From my past experience with Dashi and Guan, I cannot recall seeing her…"

Chase Young snarled under his breath.

"You fought against me once, Chase… This was before Dashi locked me in that stupid puzzle box. Where was Minh then?"

"I recall Dashi telling Minh to hide Shen Gon Wu with Dojo. That is all I can remember."

"Well, I've never seen her in any of my battles against you, Guan, or Dashi. That dragon has no idea how I look like."

"But she knows exactly _who _you are… _Don't forget that_."

"I have an idea, Chase Young. With the proper materials, I assure you I will be unrecognizable… Even in the eyes of Monk Guan."

#

"You know what, Dojo? The only thing that has been annoying for the past three years are those horrible sensations when the Shen Gon Wu reveal themselves…"

Minh sat beside Dojo on the steps near the kitchen.

"Oh, yeah…" Dojo said. "You're not the only one who gets those."

"…Everything was all well until Master Chase Young turned to Hannibal Roy Bean… That is when we left the temple and you left me with Chucky – Choo…"

"I tell you, I'm sorry! But hey, you had it coming! All those lies you told me about Master Dashi leaving me forever were heartbreaking… I felt sad."

Minh giggled as she patted Dojo's back. "I'm sorry for that, old Dojo."

"Old? Me? At my age, I'm barely considered an adult!"

#

Kimiko spent an hour alone with Omi. He had pleaded her to play video games that he had played with her before. Though Kimiko was not at all willing to play with Omi, she still proceeded to.

"Are you alright, Kimiko?" Omi would say from time to time.

Kimiko lightly smiled at the little round boy. "Yeah, Omi, I'm fine."

But as time passed, Omi began to feel the presence of sadness in Kimiko. It was ten minutes before she was meant to hand out with Clay that Omi sat beside her. They sadly looked through old pictures of them both wearing silly faces, or costumes.

Master Monk Guan spent the afternoon speaking with Master Fung.

"The time has come to select our next Shoku Warrior…" Master Fung began his conversation as he poured tea into the small cup. "Kimiko won't be around for the event. I was wondering if you could take matters into your own hands and determine when she is ready."

"But I am not truly her master… I have only trained with her for a few days before. Though she shows excellent skills, how would I know that she is worthy for an advancement?"

Master Fung and Monk Guan looked out the window to see Kimiko training with Clay for the last time. Her determination in her face and the hopelessness in her eyes made them wonder if she truly was ready. Perhaps not? But who can ever know at this moment.

"Kimiko is very skilled," Master Fung stated. "But she has much to learn. You, Master Monk Guan, have fought beside two of the most memorable monks in the world."

"Yes, but may I remind you that one has gone evil? And if this is the same fate that awaits young Kimiko, what can I do then? Surely, I cannot give her the honor of advancing as Shoku."

"Kimiko will earn it when you feel like she has earned it, Guan. _She will earn it when she feels like she has truly earned it_. It is her decision. It will always be her decision. Let us hope that she makes the wisest one."

Both masters continued to look out the window as Omi and Raimundo joined the training. Although it was playful training, it was as if Master Monk Guan could see the future through the event. Yes, she was wearing the traditional robes of a Shoku Warrior… But what exactly do her eyes represent? …The eyes of good, or the eyes of evil? Master Fung was truly right about one thing: _It will always be her decision._


	12. Visions

_This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I really do hope you enjoy reading it._

* * *

Ch. 12

Minh finished her helping of fried chicken. Dojo slithered behind her and placed his claws on her back. Minh turned to see him in dissatisfaction. The little pink dragon pulled herself away from his grasp and slithered onward. Dojo awkwardly scratched his head and quickly followed up with the dragon.

"Um, uh… Minh?"

The dragon turned to face Dojo and gazed at his eyes. This made Dojo very nervous. He wiped away the sweat above her brow and brushed back the yellowish flap of scales behind his back. Minh giggled as she shook her head.

"Oh, Dojo, you are a delight."

Dojo nervously laughed at the dragon. "Why, if you say so." He straightened his back to appear taller than Minh. But even if he tried to appear bigger, Minh was still taller.

"Tell me, Dojo. What is it that you wanted to say to me?"

Dojo cleared his throat. "I know I've asked you for so much in the past, but I can't help to ask… well… _Please_ take care of our little Kim."

Minh fluttered her eyes, as she grew closer to the green dragon. She put her claws in his and gently said, "Oh, Dojo… I am the guardian of Guan's temple. It is my duty to protect those who reside within its barriers. Of course I'll take care of her."

Dojo sighed in relief. Minh giggled as she patted his head. "Now come on, Dojo. Show me around, will ya'?"

She pulled him toward the hallways.

Raimundo so happened to pass by and smiled slyly. Just like Dojo embarrassed him about Kimiko, he shall do the same in front of Minh.

The Dragon of the Wind walked up to the two little actual dragons that were making they way into the hallways.

_"Oh, Dojo…"_ Raimundo called out. Dojo turned around and was immediately startled. "Oh! What do we have here?" Raimundo chuckled. "No, no… I see what's going on…"

"Rai! What are you talking about? Minh and me? Ha!" Dojo smacked the pink dragon on the back. She snarled at his behavior.

_"Dojo! You're not embarrassed of me, are you?"_ Minh said. She puffed smoke from her nostrils that made Dojo very uncomfortable.

Raimundo made his way through the hallways laughing hysterically. Minh put her claws on her sides as she glared at Dojo. She shook her head and slithered away.

"Wait! Uh – Minh!"

#

Raimundo peered into Kimiko's room. He thought he'd see her there, but the Dragon of Fire was nowhere to be seen. Her room seemed a lot bigger now that her belongings were nowhere in sight. A huge wooden trunk was one of the only things that she'll be leaving behind. The young Shoku Warrior could not understand why he felt so heart broken for her departure. It was not like him to get all worked up over a girl. Though they have been through a lot together, he just couldn't believe that he felt so puzzled for her having to leave.

He sighed as he knelt on the floor and leaned back to sit on his own legs. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Rai?" A gently voice called from behind him.

Raimundo jumped up and turned to see Kimiko smiling at him. The Brazilian boy smiled at her as well and took a step forward to her.

The encounter was not what Kimiko had hoped it would be. She watched him come into the hallway and step inside her room, but she hesitated to go after him. The young monk imagined her encounter with Raimundo to be quick, easy, and serene. But as Raimundo looked at her, Kimiko felt uneasy.

For a moment, both Xiaolin Monks stayed quiet as they looked down at the floor. Kimiko clasped her hands together before looking back at her friend. For this she did not hesitate: Kimiko stepped forward and hugged Raimundo tightly. A surprised Raimundo did not wait for her to say anything. He placed his arms around Kimiko's small body and placed his head onto hers.

And this was one of the moments both of them could never forget. This hug was different from all the numerous others that Kimiko had given him. Raimundo usually never hugged her back except for a while ago when he was chosen to lead his fellow monks.

For a while, Raimundo didn't want to let go of Kimiko. Dojo's voice could be heard from across the hall, informing the young girl that Master Monk Guan was waiting for her in the courtyard.

Raimundo felt a tear roll onto his arm. He realized the girl in his arms was crying. She parted away from him to wipe away the tears that had been building up in her eyes. "I guess this is it."

Raimundo looked at the girl. "Yeah, I guess…"

Kimiko started her way back toward the door. Raimundo was still unable to move as he watched her walk away.

"Aren't you coming?"

Raimundo shook his head. His arms were to his side as he looked away from her gaze wearily. "I can't."

Kimiko sighed and placed her pale hand on the frame of the entrance. "Like I said before… Goodbyes don't last forever." She turned away and let go of the frame. "I'll see you some other time, I guess."

Those were the last words Raimundo heard from Kimiko. When he looked up to look at her once more, she was already gone.

#

Kimiko had privately bid her last farewells to the others. Master Fung has given her a small sack and told her that a few Shen Gon Wu he thought she would need were in there. With the Changing Chopsticks Clay had won only recently, Kimiko shrunk her luggage and put them in the sack along with the other Shen Gon Wu. She hugged Clay, Omi, Master Fung and Dojo before hopping onto Minh's scaly back.

"Do not fret, young monks," Guan said, "this will only be for a while."

Kimiko loved over the courtyard. Raimundo had not shown up. The young monk frowned upon this as she closed her eyes and turned her head to face the sunset that was beginning to appear beyond the horizon.

"Take care, Minh," Dojo said.

By comparison, Dojo was very small standing beside Minh. The great pink dragon smiled at the little reptile.

Master Monk Guan jumped onto Minh's back. The dragon jumped into the air and used all her strength to push herself into the air. Kimiko's black hair waved wildly against the wind. She looked down at her friends. Though they were puny from so high up, she managed to see Omi, Clay, and Master Fung wave at her. And still, Raimundo was not in sight.

The Brazilian boy looked out the window and managed to see Minh's tail in the sky before her whole body disappeared above the roof.

#

"What I find amusing is that the old monk has not said much to Kimiko. He did not really explain to her why she was leaving."

The palace feeding grounds for the jungle cats were not at all fun to be in. The wild cats have been waiting for their dinner long enough. Anything can aggravate them.

"Yes," Wuya said. "She believes that you are about to cause her harm, but for what reason? No one knows. It would be best that none of them know."

Chase Young threw a large chunk of meat in the middle of the floor. All of the jungle cats attacked the piece of meat and fought amongst themselves. Wuya was still not accustomed to Chase Young's cats. She misses her rock creatures and everything she could do with her powers… If, and only if, she had her Heilyn Witch powers, then she could be gone from Chase Young's palace and form her own alliances. Heck, she might even take Jack Spicer under her wing again and train him to be a proper evil villain.

"Kimiko's departure is beneficial. It's just her and Guan against me, you, and my cats." Chase Young tossed another large chunk of meat in the air. One of the tigers jumped and caught it with its massive claws.

"I've had visions, Chase Young…"

_"Visions? And you tell me this now?"_

"Even if I am powerless, I can still summon my weaker strengths."

"What visions were you speaking of, Wuya?"

Chase Young and Wuya left the room and walked through the darkness of the hallways. _Left, right, right, straight, left, straight._ The throne room's lighting was intense, even as the sun was beginning to disappear from the sky. Bright rays of light beamed down from the windows of the ceiling.

"Kimiko's _so – called friends_ will betray her before she betrays them. _This is the key to your plan, Chase Young._ _This is it! _Soon, Kimiko will become one of our biggest allies. She'll run beside us for every battle, every showdown…!"

Her raspy voice echoed throughout the whole palace. The Heilyn Witch's eyes glowed immensely as she looked at her reflection through the pool of water.

"And when exactly will this prophecy come to pass?"

"Chase, my dear… The visions I get do not come equipped with schedules or calendars. We must wait patiently. Is that not what you have said before?"

Wuya deepened her voice as she mimicked Young._ "Patience is the key…_"

Chase Young grabbed her from her arms. Wuya did not flinch. "These visions of yours better be true, Wuya, or else my cats will have another item on their menu."

#

Minh's body waved gently across the sky. Master Monk Guan didn't talk much. He stayed silent the whole time and fell asleep every two hours from boredom. Half of the time, Kimiko placed her hand onto his chest to make sure he was still breathing.

Minh sighed as she flew passed mountains. "I love it in the night. Dojo wasn't much of a night – dragon."

Kimiko stepped over the old, sleeping monk. She climbed onto her head. "Well that's great! This other time when we searched for the Sands of Time, Dojo nearly crashed into the ground from exhaustion."

Minh's loud and soft laugh escaped her large mouth. "Dojo… Well, Dojo has always been lazy."

Kimiko laughed silently to herself as she gazed over the mountains. Though they seemed terrifying and dangerous, one could not help but admire its beauty. _Clay would have loved this… _she thought.

As time passed by, Kimiko looked back to see the dark vastness of land that Minh has flown over. She sighed and sat against Minh's large neck. Master Monk Guan was still snoring away. The moon had appeared only hours ago and the stars were so bright. She thought about Omi, Raimundo, and Clay. Her departure was not going to last so long, but she never really got a full answer on when she was meant to return.

And all those thoughts made her wonder why she had to leave in the first place. She remembered telling Master Fung that the reason was caused by the Evil Lord, Chase Young. Why was he going after her? And why did he choose to separate her from her friends. The last time she remembered, they always protected themselves against an intruder.

Minh's flying had become tamer. "Next stop, my good friend, _home_. Welcome back to Monk Guan's temple…"


	13. New Alliances

Ch. 13

Master Monk Guan had awakened from his sleep as he felt Minh slowly descend from the sky. He stretched his arms toward the sky and looked upward. He wasn't aware that he had slept for that long. The last time he saw daylight was hours ago, even a few miles away from the Xiaolin Temple.

"I've been here before, but everything I see it, it just surprises me."

Monk Guan looked down to see his home. Even in the darkness, the temple looked extravagant. The moonlight is what had led the pink dragon to a safe landing. On the ground, quiet, older monks walked around to greet the new, and temporary addition to their order.

Kimiko jumped off Minh's back. "Changing Chopsticks." Her luggage formed to its original size.

Master Monk Guan bowed to the three shorter monks, as did they.

"I am very sure you all remember Kimiko…"

"Ah, yes," said one. His accent wasn't as thick as the others. In fact, his English was very well for a man who had lived in Asia for a long time. "Dragon of Fire! I remember the first time you arrived at Xiaolin Temple."

Kimiko bowed to the three monks. "Oh, yeah… I remember you."

The last time she saw the monks was when Wuya threatened to take over the world with Raimundo at her side. They were among the other few who helped Master Fung protect the Xiaolin Temple.

Minh shrunk down to the small dragon size.

"Minh, please show Kimiko to her new bedroom."

"Of course, Master Monk Guan…" Minh gently said.

The other monks took hold of Kimiko's luggage. She insisted to carry at least one of her suitcases so one monk wouldn't be left with two. Though they tried to coax her they were strong, Kimiko giggled and reminded them that they should save their strengths for other things.

"We may be old, young Dragon of Fire, but I assure you that we are very strong."

But still Kimiko took one of the larger suitcases up the stairs that contained over a thousand steps to the entrance of the temple. Minh wiped the sweat from her brow when she arrived to the top.

"You would think that I am used to this, seeing that I've lived here for over fifteen – hundred years."

Kimiko took a deep breath as she helped the monks with her suitcases. "Yeah…" she said as she tried to catch her breath. "I can't remember how I even got here the last time I came."

The Wudai Warrior and Minh greeted other monks who were hooded. As they opened the gates to enter the temple, Kimiko's heart sank. She remembered the last time she had come here with her friends. These memories she is making at this moment couldn't possibly be a greater adventure without her friends. Kimiko shook her head. _Stay strong… You're making yourself seem as if you couldn't possibly live without them by your side!_

Kimiko entered the gates and looked around in amusement. Within its doors, many other monks turned to face the new arrival. They all bowed to greet her, as did Kimiko. Nothing looked different from the last time she had arrived. The large hall was a bit dark, but not so much that seeing was impossible. There was a large portrait of Monk Guan hung on one of the walls, as well as countless others on various parts of the main hall.

The walls had a dark blue tint to them, though it really fit perfectly for the way the whole hallway was set up. Monks walked to each other and secretly spoke to one another. They watched in curiousity as Kimiko entered the hall with their trusted dragon Minh.

"Why are they all looking at me like that?" Kimiko whispered.

Minh wrapped herself around Kimiko's neck for easy transportation across the hallway. "I thought you already knew…" Minh whispered back at her.

The girl followed the three monks who carried the other three suitcases for her. She walked through several different walls. She looked up to see other paintings of Monk Guan beside Dashi. None revealed any sort of friendship with Chase Young. Kimiko obviously knew why Monk Guan didn't have any paintings beside one of his previous allies, and current enemy.

"This is your room," One of the older monks said.

He and the other two monks set down the suitcases by the door. The shortest one reached into his pocket to locate a shiny, gold key. He pushed it gently into the keyhole and turned it to the left and removed it. The other two old monks pushed the door inward to reveal a large room.

Kimiko entered and a big smile emerged on her face. She remembers this room… The previous time she was here she had to share it with the other monks, regardless of being a female. In Monk Guan's eyes, a male and a female are all treated the same.

"This is amazing…" Kimiko said.

The room was quite large. One of the windows that was on in the far end revealed the amazing view of the mountainside. Kimiko very much admired this, even though it was nothing compared to the beautiful countryside of the Xiaolin Temple.

The monks settled the girl's luggage in the middle of the room. They bowed for the last time before leaving and shutting the doors behind them.

#

"What do you suppose Kimiko is doing right now?" Omi asked. The monks were gathered in Clay's bedroom. Playing card games was one of the only ways they could try to forget about Kimiko's departure. But of course, those little games of theirs did not help much.

"I'm guessing she's getting ready to sleep, just like we should…" Raimundo dropped his small handful of cards on the floor.

"It's mighty lonesome 'ere without Kim'ko."

"I agree. How will we ever go off and fight for Shen Gon Wu without the fourth element fighting by our side?"

"We managed today, we can manage any day without the gal." Clay dropped his cards as well and leaned against the wall. "We don't always need to rely on 'er."

"I guess you're right," Raimundo said calmly. "Let's all go to bed."

Dojo was in his tiny bed fast asleep. Master Fung was nearby meditating. The old friends were in the meditation hall. The old monk was wondering whether he had made the right decision in sending Kimiko away… Perhaps it wasn't the best decision he could ever make, but it was still wise. He was perplexed by his own decision and by whatever it was that Chase Young was planning.

_Was he even planning anything? Perhaps what Omi and I felt about Chase Young and Kimiko was nothing… But we can never deny the strange behavior of the enemy. _

All these thoughts collided with each other. The more Master Fung thought about his decisions and Chase Young's assumed plans were giving him headaches. To add onto the pile of disasters, Dojo suddenly woke up from his sleep and shouted for help. Master Fung jumped suddenly and turned to face the little dragon that was clung onto the pillow.

"What is it, Dojo? Has another Shen Gon Wu revealed itself?"

Dojo shook his head. "No… No! It was much worse than that!"

Master Fung looked toward the door. Two of the Xiaolin Monks, Clay and Omi, ran inside with their elemental weapons at the ready.

"Master Fung! We heard screaming… _Is everything all right?_"

The little yellow teenager was entering the meditation room. Raimundo was clung onto his teddy bear, Ninja Fred and stood by the doorway near Clay. When Clay peered down to see it, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Hey," Raimundo insisted as he hid the small, brown teddy bear behind his back, "it's a good luck charm!"

Dojo jumped out of his bed and clung onto Master Fung's legs for comfort.

"What is wrong?" Omi said. "The only times Dojo has ever acted this way is when a Shen Gon Wu has revealed itself… and also when he eats more than he should."

The Xiaolin monks gazed upon the small reptile that was shaking uncontrollably. Dojo mumbled to himself as he chewed on the old monk's pant leg.

"Dojo, please," Raimundo said as he yawned. "Spill the beans! I'm so tired…"

"There are beans here?" Omi said in confusion.

Dojo took a deep breath. "I had the craziest dream – no! Nightmare – NO!" He paused for a minute before continuing. "What's another word for nightmare?"

Clay, Omi, Raimundo and Master Fung shrugged.

"Okay, then… I had the craziest nightmare!" Dojo slithered around Master Fung's body and sought his bald head to hug. "In the dream, Chase Young went looking for Hannibal Roy Bean. When he found it, he proposed a deal with him…"

"And what deal was that?" Raimundo said. He clutched onto Ninja Fred as Dojo continued to tell his story…

"Chase Young asked Hannibal Bean for two things: the Moby Morpher, and Lao Mang Long Soup with an added ingredient besides dragon. In exchange, Chase Young is to bring Hannibal Bean the Ying – Yang Yoyos, return the Moby Morpher, and secure a new alliance."

"But all of this cannot be really happening, can they, Master Fung?"

Master Fung turned away from his students as he stroked his beard. "One cannot be certain. It could be one of Chase Young and Wuya's tricks. We cannot always be too careful… Chase Young is strong and with this kind of information, we must be on guard until time passes."

"You mean until Kimiko comes back." Raimundo's voice was stern. He stepped forward from the doorway.

Master Fung raised an eyebrow as he turned to face the Dragon of the Wind. "What do you mean?"

"It's obvious… Kimiko is gone because there's something going on in Chase Young's evil head. It has to be about her... If not her, one of us, and by the looks of it, Omi seems to be way off of his target list, and Clay and I don't seem much of an interest to him."

"And why is this so?"

"Well, you wouldn't just send Kimiko off like that."

"Pardon me, Master Fung, but I reckon Rai's gotta' point there."

"I know you know something, Master Fung, and I am not going back to bed until you tell all of us what is going on."

#

Minh moved her bed from the main hallway of the temple to Kimiko's room. This was a strict order from Master Monk Guan. The little pink dragon straightened the large cushion that served as her bed at a corner that was closest to the Dragon of Fire's sleeping matt.

The teenage girl had finished putting away half of her clothes in the large wardrobe. Her traditional Xiaolin Monk clothing was arranged on the dome of an old wooden trunk that was by the window. Minh slithered onto her bed and slouched back on the comfort of the cushion.

Kimiko stretched out her arms. She was already in her sleeping gown and crawled onto the matt. Before blowing out the candle, Kimiko turned to face the little pink dragon. Her eyes seemed very weary. And she must be… After traveling for hours on end without any time to stop and rest, she deserved to sleep and undisturbed.

"Is there something troubling you, Kimiko?"

The teenage girl fell back onto the matt and sighed as she gazed up at the ceiling. "No… Well, yes."

"Then you can tell me."

Kimiko hesitated to open her mouth and let her words escape her lips. For a few seconds, the girl stayed quiet. It has been so long she has slept in the same room with another female that it was somewhat strange to her. She had become accustomed to sharing the same hall with three other boys and another nosy male dragon.

"I was wondering if you understood why Master Fung sent me here."

"I thought you already knew."

Kimiko shook her head as she turned over and faced the dragon that was only feet away from her face. She put her head in her hand and positioned her arm in the most comfortable way possible to maintain her head in the air.

"When Master Fung asked me if I knew anything about it, my only answer was 'Chase Young.' It was only a guess."

Minh shook her head and raised her skinny arm in the air. "No, no, darling… You knew the answer all along. The real question is, _why him_?"

Kimiko shook her head and shrugged. "I have no idea, Minh… Is this why all the monks looked at me strangely when I arrived?"

Minh shrugged. "Possibly. They are as puzzled as you and I are. Mysteries are made to play mind games with us. Try not to think so much of it, Kimiko. Chase Young may have done you and your friends wrong before, but it does not mean that he is targeting directly towards you."

"My encounters with him were all nothing but strange, Minh. He causes me to feel anger and to… Well, _like it_."

Minh formed a quizzical expression upon her scaly face. She looked out the window and watched the pale moon disappear behind darkened clouds. "Things like this shouldn't be kept a secret, my dear friend. Tomorrow morning you must speak with Monk Guan. Chase Young causes nothing but fear and anger. Those two are the elements that cause one to do very bad things. The only thing I can tell you, Kimiko, is to beware your present and future."

#

The winds weren't as heavy as usual. The rustling of the leaves and the coolness of the air were quite splendid. Chase Young and Wuya stood outside the palace as they looked away from the stars.

"What is done, is done," Chase Young said.

"Excellent…" Wuya moved away from the Evil Lord and sat on a cool patch of grass. She quietly overlooked the forest before turning to face Chase.

The Evil Lord's reptilian eyes remained closed for the time being. He breathed profoundly and let the wind blow through his long, dark hair. He listened to the dead leaves rustling around him as they blew away.

Wuya remained silent as she watched his calmness. Was he meditating? …No, of course not. Her puffy lips formed to curve a smile. _Yes, indeed… He was performing one of his magic tricks. _

"And do you think that dragon will believe what he has seen?"

"Not at the moment. But knowing how the little beast is, he will surely inform his master of his dream. It is things like these that the Xiaolin Monks cannot simple pass by without taking precaution."

A black and gray bird with familiar designs flew over Chase Young's head. The small creature landed on a tree branch nearby. It was the Ying – Ying bird.

"Moby Morpher!" A rather loud voice escaped from the treetops. He had a very familiar accent.

A massive, fat body fell from the branches. His skinny tentacle – like arms waved in the air. The Shen Gon Wu that was known as the Moby Morpher was on either side of these arms. As the evil Hannibal Roy Bean smiled, his crooked, yellow teeth came to reveal themselves with the widening of his mouth and the curve of his skinny lips.

"You called for me, Chase Young, now what is it that you want?"

The Evil Lord looked sternly upon the giant brown bean that stood in between him and Wuya. The Ying – Ying bird perched on the Heilyn Witch's shoulder as she stood up from her seat and walked toward Hannibal.

"You know exactly what I want."

"My Moby Morpher and Lao Mang Long Soup for what? An alliance from the only guy who crossed me in the past… _Never_."

"Think about it, Hannibal Bean…" Chase Young snapped his fingers. From the top of the trees, to the darkness that surrounded their master, all jungle cats began to reveal their cold eyes.

"Accept the offer, Hannibal," Wuya said. "It is the best one you can ever do to get rid of those Xiaolin pests once in for all!"

"Oh yea?" Hannibal said. "And in what way?"

Wuya laughed her evil laugh. The Ying – Ying bird flew away from her and landed on one of the highest points of Chase Young's palace.

The Heilyn Witch looked to see Chase Young. The Evil Lord had his arms to his sides as the jungle cats grew nearer and nearer to attack the possessor of the Moby Morpher.

Chase Young cleared is throat for the giant bean's attention to be toward him at the time. Hannibal Bean's eyes widened as he realized the bigger quantity of Chase Young's army of jungle cats.

With a hushed and vibrant tone of his voice, Chase young said: "By making sure that one of them turns against them _indefinitely_."


	14. Lessons

Ch. 14

"Again!" Master Monk Guan commanded.

Kimiko breathed heavily from exhaustion as she ran in full speed toward the poles that constantly changed direction. She aimed where she was going to land in a handstand to make a flip and land on another rod with her feet. As she became closer and closer to the moving poles, she took a deep breath and shouted, "Judollete Flip!"

The young girl jumped high into the air. And gracefully flipped herself around in the air. She was over the poles now, but a quick movement of the rods can destroy her whole concentration as it had done for the past ten times. This was her eleventh try. She peered downward, coming down in full speed and then the rod she aimed for moved toward the left and a taller one took its spot. This caught Kimiko off guard, but she extended her arms outward. There! She finally caught the rod! And now for the back flip…

Kimiko forced her body weight to shift toward her back. With quick movement, the Dragon of Fire managed to land on one foot on the rod. With a smile upon her face and the sweat streaming down her forehead, Kimiko balanced herself, arms extended upward and downward.

Monk Guan nodded, but he was nowhere near smiling as brightly as the young Wudai warrior was. "Not good enough," Master Monk Guan said. "Come down, please…"

For days, Kimiko has been working on the same pouncing techniques, and the same attacks. Six days have passed since her arrival. Only six and Kimiko could not stand the soreness in her muscles. The young girl did not know when she would return to the Xiaolin Temple.

She tried hard to keep her focus on her landing to the ground. Her jump wasn't as enthusiastic as all of her flips and jumps. "Why wasn't it good enough?"

Monk Guan turned around to gaze at his new student. He tapped his forehead with his index finger before removing it. "You aim to the one you want to land on, and you must succeed. Then we can move on to the next lesson, young Dragon."

"_It's impossible!_ The – the – the poles keep moving directions."

"You must be patient. Learn the rhythm of poles before you jump. They all have paces. They all have a distinct rhythm."

Master Monk Guan bowed before leaving the courtyard. "I'll return in five minutes. Rest, young one."

Kimiko bowed before her temporary master. She walked toward the switch of the machine. Every single pole returned to its normal height, which was slightly taller than Kimiko. When he left, she dropped to her bottom and sat down in exhaustion. Minh appeared from behind one of the thicker poles. She slithered toward the tired girl.

"He is right, you know…" Minh said.

"Yes… But the poles move swiftly at all directions. How can I possibly follow the rhythm of each one."

Minh shook her head and giggled. "Kim, you're thinking too hard. Many of the monks here that had been his students have gone through the same thing. They clear their minds and think of nothing _but_ the movement of the poles…"

"I know… But they're fifteen poles, Minh."

"You didn't let me finish, dear… Choose the pole you are targeting. Each pole shifts direction from left to right every three seconds, or so. Time your speed, time the poles and time your jump. You only focus on three things overall. They move up and down three times before shifting positions. This is all I can tell you. The rest you must do yourself."

The young girl nodded as she watched the pink dragon slither away. Kimiko swiftly moved her head from side to side to crack her neck bones. She massaged her feet through the soft padding of her slippers. Three minutes had passed. Perhaps she can study the movement of the poles.

She walked toward one of the tall poles and opened a clear, plastic box. There, she flicked the switch to start the poles. The Dragon of Fire squinted and aimed to one of the poles that was right in the middle of the others. They began their movements slowly. One. Two. Three… And they switched. She kept her blue eyes on the same pole. One. Two Three. Switch. And this rhythm went over and over again as she focused on the pole. Without removing her eyes from it, she focused on her breathing and drowned all the sound from around her. Kimiko started to job in place, but her eyes never blinked and never left the pole. One. Two. Three. Switch.

_Now_, she thought, _now is the time._

One. Two. Three. Switch. This pace played in her mind as she ran toward the targeted pole from a distance. Her running was well played out. She was six seconds away. Only six. Though the time was short, it was enough for her to plan out her jumps and flips. One. Two. Three. Switch. One. Two. Three… Switch!

"Judollete flip!" Kimiko jumped in the air and maneuvered her body to flip gracefully. Just as she thought… As she came down with full speed, the girl counted her seconds for the last time. One. Two. Three. Switch. The pole returned to the original spot and her arms extended. Just two seconds before the pole moved away to the left, Kimiko's hands made it. Her handstand was excellent compared to the other twelve times she had tried just today.

She repeated the rhythm and swayed her body backwards to aim at the pole behind her. This one she did not study as hard as the first, but there was no need to. Each pole was in a row, though it did not seem so because they were always in movement. Kimiko closed her eyes and shifted her weight to her back and pushed herself in the air. She landed on the small base of the pole with one foot. Her left knee was only inches from her chest and her arms were in the air in complete balance.

The movement of the poles ceased. Kimiko, looked down to view Master Monk Guan. He looked at her with a smile upon his face.

"You are now ready to move to our next lesson. We will start tomorrow at the crack of dawn. You have much to learn. Now, please, prepare yourself for lunch."

Kimiko bowed down before him and walked wearily back into the temple.

Monk Guan looked down at Minh who slithered by his feet. "You helped her…"

Minh shrugged. "She deserved the help as did the other monks you've trained, Master Monk Guan."

"Yes, I suppose it is all a part of learning."

"She must also learn to ask for help, sir." Minh slithered up his leg, his torso, and then around his arm.

"What do you mean, Minh?"

The dragon began to remember the first night Kimiko was here. She remembered what Kimiko had said about Chase Young. "She's only spoken to me once about her encounters with Chase Young."

Monk Guan's eyes directed toward the temple. "And what exactly is it that she had told you, Minh?"

"Anger and fear, my dear. Have her tell you. This is a part of learning, is it not? She must learn how to ask for help."

"And do you suppose she needs any help?"

Minh sighed. "I hope not. But the way she sounded, it seemed as if she didn't know how to handle these things. One can only think she can handle it because she possesses great power… But even with great power comes peril. Chase Young is capable of confusing her. She must be cautious. You should be cautious… The Xiaolin monks must also be aware of this."

#

Dojo was flying over the Amazon Jungle. Raimundo, Clay, and Omi were exchanging glances. It has been six days since Master Fung revealed to the boys about the seriousness of Chase Young's decisions and involvement with Kimiko. They were also warned to stay so near, but far from Chase Young.

"Ya'll don't think that Kim'ko would choose to go to Chase Young?"

Raimundo shrugged, as Omi remained quiet.

"Kimiko will never betray us. She's stubborn, cautious, and very… very…"

"Angry." Clay added as he chuckled. "I guess ya' can agree on that."

"Anger is what drives Chase Young," Omi stated. "It is hate that keeps him the way he is. Hate for his enemies, the world… He had once taught me to embrace my anger and my fears as I was under his control."

"But you were under the affect of the Ying – Yang world. How can that be possible?"

"Anything is possible in the Ying – Yang world. I was not myself, but _I was myself_. It is hard to explain."

"I think I have an idea of what you're saying…"

"So yer sayin' that each and e'ry one of us got an evil side within us?"

Raimundo smacked his forehead. "You could have said that earlier, little dude!"

Omi took a deep breath… _"Well excuse me for being the only one to understand what it's like to be in that situation!"_

"Never mind the situation for just this minute!" Dojo exclaimed. "We have bigger trouble now…"

A loud, deep laugh was heard from below the flying dragon. The three monks looked down and caught a glimpse of Hannibal Roy Bean, Wuya, and Chase Young standing on a single tree branch.

Dojo landed on the ground, feet below the opposing team.

"Look at what the dragon dragged in…" Wuya said in a gruff matter.

"Actually," said the dragon, "I flew them in…"

The Heilyn Witch snarled as she jumped from the high branch and landed only inches away from the dragon's nose. "Don't get smart with me, Dragon."

Dojo cowered in Omi's sleeve.

The little yellow boy stepped forward. "You have no business here!"

Chase Young and Hannibal Bean jumped from the branch to join Wuya. Chase was so much taller than Omi by comparison. He peered down to look at the boy.

"It takes guts, Omi, to defend yer friends. Perhaps the Shoku Warrior can show the same support." With this, Hannibal Roy Bean laughed hysterically.

Raimundo gritted his teeth and clenched both fists in the air. "If you want to start some kind of fight, ugly – bean dude, then bring it!"

"Easy now there, partner." Clay said as he struggled to hold him back.

Raimundo pushed Clay away from him. "No!"

"Listen to your friend, Raimundo, or you'll end up very far from your intentions."

Omi raised his eyebrow as he looked at the enemy. "What intentions are you speaking of?"

"There is no Shen Gon Wu that has revealed itself, so you're obviously here looking for the same thing we are." Wuya's words were clearly said.

The Xiaolin Monks looked at each other with dissatisfaction. Master Fung sent them here to find the ingredient the Heilyn side was looking for. It was that strange ingredient that Dojo mentioned from his dreams.

For one reason or another, this was Chase Young's intention. He wanted them to know exactly what they wanted. All they were missing was the venom of the Bushmaster, a venomous pit – viper. This was the key to their plan: To manipulate the venom of the viper with Heilyn magic.

"Well, yer not goin' down without a fight!" Clay protested.

Dojo suddenly yelled and popped his head out from the inside of Omi's tunic. "Two Shen Gon Wu had revealed themselves!"

Wuya looked at him. She did not sense anything. "You lie, you ungrateful lizard!" She paused for a second. Her eyes began to glow and a shivering sensation ran throughout her body. "No, no… He is right! Two new Shen Gon Wu had revealed themselves!"

She turned to face Chase Young. He smirked as he took his eyes away from Omi. "You and Hannibal go find these Shen Gon Wu."

Raimundo raised his eyebrow and pulled Omi away from Chase Young. "You and Clay look for the Shen Gon Wu. Clay will be better off following Wuya through the forest. Take the Longi Kite. Omi, you look for the Shen Gon Wu and be sure Hannibal Roy Bean doesn't get to it first! Take Dojo… I'll stay here and try to figure out why Chase Young is so interested in Kimiko…"

The group separated, as did the Heilyn evildoers. Raimundo and Chase Young stayed behind to confront each other. For the first time ever, The Dragon of Wind and the Evil Lord met eye to eye.


	15. Realizations

Ch. 15

"Come, Dojo! We must get there before Hannibal Roy Bean!"

Dojo was flying over the treetops, trying to regain his senses of the Shen Gon Wu. The mystical, green dragon was moving left, right, left. There was no telling where to go.

"I'm sorry, Omi," he said. "I sense two of them. I don't know which one I'm following."

Omi sighed in dissatisfaction. He scratched his bald head as he crawled toward the head of the giant dragon. "Well, focus, Dojo!"

Clay was hovering feet above the ground with the Longi Kite. Below him, Wuya ran swiftly through the forest. She looked up and noticed the large cowboy following her. She laughed devilishly.

"There's no way that cowboy will get to it first!"

Wuya changed directions momentarily. Clay was caught off guard when he saw her run the left. "What in tar-nation?" And _BOOM! _Clay went face first against a large tree. From afar, he could hear Wuya laugh loudly.

#

The Dragon of the Wind stood on the same spot before Dojo took off with Omi, and Clay ran off with the Longi Kite. The silence between them was not at all satisfying. Though they were silent, it didn't mean the jungle was. There was a loud hollering sound of monkeys from all directions… Birds of different shapes and sizes perched on the highest branches of the trees and screeched endlessly.

"So," Chase Young finally said. His voice was steady… Gruff, but steady. "The Dragon of the Wind finally took his mark as Shoku Leader."

Raimundo glared at the fifteen – hundred year old Evil Lord and could not drop his stare. "I've always stepped up to my mark."

Chase Young laughed gently. "I don't believe it. The last few times I confronted you Xiaolin Monks, Omi was the first to step up. You've always been lurking behind his shadow… If not, even further."

Raimundo snarled. "I was chosen as the Shoku Leader for a reason!"

Chase Young sighed and closed his eyes. "For reasons that have yet to be discovered… Yet, you haven't, had you?"

"I don't need to prove myself, and much less, to you!"

Chase Young chuckled. "Oh, but you want to." He opened his eyes and stepped forward. Still, the Dragon of the Wind remained stiff to same spot. "You just can't because it seems like it. But still, Omi begins to stoop to your level of Shoku… Clay is becoming stronger. And Kimiko-"

This is when Raimundo stepped forward. His eyes were now leveled to those reptilian eyes of the Evil Lord. "What exactly is it that you want from Kimiko?"

Chase Young chuckled silently. "It is what you fear the most, Dragon of the Wind. You're afraid of being leveled down so low from the rest of the other monks. Well, Kimiko has a lot of potential to make that happen. She can over power you, Omi, and Clay at once!"

Raimundo clenched a fist and struck it against Chase Young. The Evil Lord caught his punch swiftly. Then the next fist emerged toward his face and Chase Young did the same thing.

"Do what ever you want! Kimiko will never stoop so low to you!"

An angered Chase Young growled. His body mass increased by so much. His human face was no longer there. All that there was is a large head of a giant lizard, almost dragon – like. His teeth were large, smaller than Dojo's when he shape – shifts to his larger self, but still quite large. The green monster – like creature threw Raimundo in the air.

Raimundo yelled as he came back down. This is when Chase Young turned around in swift motion and hit the Dragon of the Wind with his heavy tail.

Chase Young's voice was now more gruesome. Before, one can only say that his voice was somewhat calm, gruff, and a bit soothing… Now, just now in this very moment, the voice was a bit louder. Everything that came out of the large lizard's mouth sounded more like heavy growls.

"Kimiko is very much like you. Though she is much wiser, the young Dragon of Fire can be dangerous if her element accidently… _gets out of control_."

Raimundo quickly stood to his feet and confronted the giant lizard. "She will never betray us!"

Chase Young changed back to his human form. He glared into the Shoku Warrior's eyes. "No… But you will. You've done so in the past, and who's to say it will never happen again?"

_"I am!"_

The Evil Lord smirked. "Not good enough."

Chase Young crossed his arms and jumped high into the trees. Even in broad daylight, the evildoer disappeared, leaving Raimundo on the ground in confusion.

"What did he mean?"

#

From various directions, Omi, Clay, Wuya, and Hannibal Roy Bean came together closer and closer. They were only seconds away from each other, until…

"Ummf!" they all groaned.

Each and every one of them collided against each other. Omi rubbed his head and looked up. "Dojo, I don't see either one!"

Wuya groaned. "I don't understand!"

"Finders keepers, losers weepers! Ha, ha, ha!"

Omi, Clay, Wuya, and Hannibal Bean looked up to catch sight of Jack Spicer holding both Shen Gon Wu in each hand. He proudly hovered to each and everyone one of them to taunt them.

He first hovered to Clay. "Howdy, part – ner! I got da' Shen Gon Wu – er!" Jack saw the Longi Kite and quickly took it into his hands and placed it within a black bag where the other two Wu were placed.

"Argh! Ya' no good vermin!" Clay said as he swung his arms forward to grab hold of Jack, but the Goth flew away with the help of his homemade flying gadget.

Jack hovered toward Wuya and Hannibal Bean. "Who's the fool now, Wuya? _Huh?_ And you! You'll always be a jelly bean to me!"

Lastly, Spicer hovered over to Omi. The little monk closed his eyes and wrinkled his eyebrows. "This should be very humiliating for you, cue – ball!" Jack Spicer took Omi up into his arms.

"Hey! What are you - Ahh!"

The Orb of Tornami fell from inside Omi's tunic. Spicer quickly threw Omi to the side and took the Shen Gon Wu into his hands to add to his new collection in a black sack.

The self – proclaimed Evil Boy Genius cheered as he ascended toward the sky with the magical objects in his bag. "The Jack – o, is back – o!" With his final statement, Spicer flew away and disappeared behind the mist of the jungle.

"So, er… What ta do now?" Clay said.

Wuya and Hannibal Roy Bean stood from the ground and rubbed their heads.

"Well," Wuya said. "It was great seeing you." And she ran off behind Hannibal Bean.

(But of course, since Hannibal Bean had no legs, he just swiftly hopped onto Ying – Ying after shouting the title of the Shen Gon Wu, "Moby Morpher!")

Clay, Omi, and Dojo looked at each other dumbfounded. The old dragon shifted to his larger size. "Let's get out of here, shall we?" The Xiaolin Monks jumped onto the dragon's back empty handed. "Let's go back to get Raimundo…"

#

Minh was happy to realize that the strange sensations down her spine had ceased. Kimiko stepped out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around her shiny, black hair.

"Oh, good, you're finally out! The monks had prepared you lunch, Kim."

"Oh no," Kimiko said hastily. She ran to the large wardrobe as she let the towel fall onto the floor. Her long, black hair drooped lazily down her back. "Have I kept them waiting?"

Minh shook her head. "Actually, they left to visit the town for new materials. Monk Guan is building a new mediation hall."

Kimiko pulled out her traditional red Xiaolin robes from her wardrobe. "And what is happening with the old meditation hall?"

Minh shrugged. "He doesn't tell us. He just says he needs a large room for certain matters."

Minh turned away from the Dragon of Fire to give her enough privacy. "I will tell you this, though… Master Monk Guan waits for you at the dining hall."

"Why didn't you tell me in the beginning?" Kimiko asked as she struggled to get into her clean tunic.

"I was about to."

Minh turned to see Kimiko who was now lacing her slippers up her knees. She then tied up her hair in two ponytails instead of one for today. The young girl got up from the floor and walked swiftly to the door. Minh sighed as she stayed behind, flipping through a magazine from Kimiko's collection.

Monk Guan was waiting silently in the dining hall. He was very silent and all the food was yet to be touched. The interior of this section of the temple was a bit brighter than the main hall. He still had portraits of himself. _Yes, the great monk is very admirable, but perhaps this is too much…_ Kimiko thought to herself as she entered the room.

"Good afternoon," Kimiko nervously said.

Monk Guan looked up to see her. He gestured his hand toward the table. "Kimiko. Please, take a seat and fill your plate."

It was strange, to say the least, that Kimiko was to eat lunch only with Master Monk Guan. For the past six days, all monks gathered around the table and shared their good cooking with each other. Even Kimiko had taken part of cooking. Though the young girl was not a great cook, her creations in the kitchen are pleasing enough to satisfy everyone's hunger.

Kimiko looked around at the table. There was fresh bread, mashed potatoes, pizza, sandwiches, soup, and other various goods. She took hold of a chicken leg before looking at her temporary master. The muscular man looked at her in a very perplexed way. He was silent. In fact, he was so quiet that even his breathing could not be heard. This made Kimiko feel quite uneasy.

"Is – is there something wrong, Master?" Kimiko asked nervously. She put down the chicken leg to heed Monk Guan's next words…

"Something is troubling me, young monk…" With this said, Monk Guan sighed heavily. "You do know that having you here is for your own safety, right?"

Kimiko nodded but wrinkled her eyebrows as she looked down at her plate, and then back at him. "Even if it is safe for me, I'm still against Master Fung's decision. My absence at the Xiaolin Temple can mean trouble."

"I think your friends can manage…" Monk Guan hesitated before saying this: "Is there something you'd like to tell me about your encounters with Chase Young?"

"Huh?"

"Master Fung had told me that Omi had suspected the worst from Chase Young and your encounters with him… This is one of the reasons for your relocation, young monk."

Kimiko felt her cheeks redden as she looked back into the previous times she had met up with Young… The Xiaolin Showdown against him is probably the best time to start… She did not expect him to be so taunting during a fight. The previous times she's seen Omi battle against him, he would _talk to him_ the way Master Fung speaks to everyone else. And the encounter in the cave… and then in his palace… Was he teaching her something? _"Embrace your anger…"_ His voice was loud and clear in her mind.

"'Embrace your anger,' is what he said to me the day we went looking for the Shen Gon Wu…" Kimiko said silently.

Master Monk Guan nodded as he looked away from Kimiko's icy – blue eyes. He saw the shame in them as her smile slowly disappeared from her pink lips. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, child… This is all I wanted to know."

Master Monk Guan rose from his seat and began walking toward the doorway.

"Wait!" Kimiko said as she sprung onto her feet. "You're not going to eat?"

Monk Guan shook his head. "Not now, Kimiko… There are _things_ I must attend to. Um… That – that new meditation hall needs building and I must certainly help the monks."

The young Dragon of Fire sat back onto her chair as she looked at the floor. It was times like these when she truly felt alone. Her eyes drifted to the table of food. Kimiko began to imagine Clay, Raimundo, and Omi stuffing their faces with all this food. Their laughter was so clear in her head.

She sighed sadly and gently whispered to herself, _"I want to go home."_

#

The Dragon of the Wind was sitting underneath a large tree. He felt a large gust of wind blow into his face. As he put his hands to cover his eyes, he caught glimpse in between his fingers of Dojo's shadow drifting swiftly on the ground. Raimundo looked up to see the large dragon descend from the sky.

"Whoa, Raimundo," Dojo said. "You don't look so good."

The teenage boy was covered in dirt and little bruises on his arms and just one by the jaw. Raimundo rubbed his neck as he walked forward to the others.

"So? Did you get any information from Chase Young about Kimiko?" Omi hastily asked.

"Or what he wanted to do with the _bushmaster viper_?"

"Er at least what he's doin' with that vermin Hannibal Bean?"

Raimundo sighed heavily. "Nothing on the bean – dude, or the bushmaster. But he did say one thing that confused me."

"An' what's that, partner?"

Raimundo looked at his friends with worrisome eyes. "He kept telling me that Kimiko is strong… Actually… She's very strong and can become dangerous. Then, when I told him that she'll never betray us, well, Chase said that it will be _us_ that betray her."

Omi looked at him with widened eyes. "But… but that cannot be! Surely, he must be lying!"

"Nah, Omi…" Raimundo said. "It's weird how you can sense someone's lies or truthfulness through the way they speak or their eyes. You know… Tiger Instincts and all that… Chase Young's eyes were focused and he never struggled to say what he had in his mind."

"Actually, he never struggles to say ana'thing," Clay stated.

"You just don't understand," Raimundo said wearily.

Dojo shook his head. "Well, let's go. Looking for these snakes give me the willies! Besides, I'm sure Chase Young has already found one."

#

Miles away from the Xiaolin Monks, Chase Young reunited with Hannibal Roy Bean and Wuya. The Evil Lord moved away a rock and brushed his hand over bushes to find exactly what they were in the rainforest for.

"An' that there is what we came looking fer?" Hannibal said.

Chase Young stood straight as in his hand he had a firm grip to one of the most venomous snakes in the world. The pattern was intensifying… The body was brown and black. Its loud hiss made Wuya uneasy.

"This is exactly what we're here for…" He turned his direction to the Heilyn Witch Wuya. "Are you sure adding this to the Lao Mang Long soup will work?"

"Of course. It should work. If you manipulate that thing's venom to trigger emotions and not death, then it must."

"Of course," Hannibal said. "But why must it gotta' be the venom of this viper?"

Chase Young sighed. "This snake is intriguing to say the least. The venom is deadly and if the Xiaolin monks came into contact with its fangs, then there will be no point to carry out my plan."

"And when exactly is it that the Lao Mang Long soup will be ready?" Wuya asked.

"If you don't want it canned," Hannibal said as he rubbed his chin with his thin, tentacle – like arms. "Within three days."


	16. Defense Call

_**Note:**_

_I apologize in advance if I have a few grammar errors.__ Anyway, I really do hope you enjoy reading the 16th chapter of __Reign of Fire__. Just to clear the air here, the weird mentioned Shen Gon Wu and the pink dragon Minh are random creations of mine. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Also, I really do want to thank you for your kind reviews! I hope you enjoy reading this new chapter (since there is a lot more going on now)._

* * *

Ch. 16

"With one gone, you must all learn new techniques for defense. Though Kimiko is not here, you must still fight as one. A great team is all it takes to bring down an opponent." Master Fung walked over to one of the trees as the three monks followed him. As he placed his hand over the bark, the old man sighed… "Today's lesson requires good concentration. Learn from each other's mistakes, weaknesses, and strengths. Construct your own defense tactics. Within one hour, I'll evaluate your progress with the Sweet Baby Among Us." Master Fung sneezed and was thrown back against the bark of the tree.

"Are you okay, Master Fung?" The little Wudai warrior walked by Master Fung and offered him a hand to help him stand.

"I'm afraid I'm catching a little cold…"

"Oh, would you like a blanket?" Omi thoughtfully suggested.

Raimundo stepped forward and placed his hand on the little bald boy's shoulder. "I think he means that he's getting sick."

Master Fung stood upright as he took a step forward toward the pond. "It's nothing to worry about, really… I've fought against things that are much worse than a little cold."

The old man slowly walked with Dojo toward the kitchen. Clay looked away from Master Fung.

"I'm afraid Master Fung ain't doin' so great… Perhaps he's getting' too old…"

"_None sense!_ Master Fung is an excellent teacher."

"Yeah," Raimundo interfered, "but I think Clay is right. He's not getting any younger."

"Either way, Master Fung will continue to teach us until his job is done."

Omi, Raimundo, and Clay sat down on the freshly – cut grass. Their minds were all pending on the same thing: What were Chase Young's intentions with the bushmaster venom?

#

There was a large pot of boiling water on an open flame. Wuya kept herself far from Hannibal Roy Bean's working hands, er, tentacles…? He was very quiet and concentrated. Ying-Ying stayed around for Hannibal's safety (if Hannibal Bean needed to get away fast for any reason). The first ingredient was the tail of a dragon. Though it was uncertain where exactly Chase Young got his ingredient, it was the first one to be added. The scales of the dragon tail began to emerge to the surface. Ying-Ying fished out the many scales with the help of Hannibal Bean. The bird was careful enough to not fall into the boiling water.

The dragon tail was what gave the soup its green color. For taste, the large bean added salt and other various spices, for the dragon tail alone was awful. Other things were also added to the pot such as noodles and even chopped carrots. With this, Wuya frowned annoyingly as she walked toward the working evildoer.

"Why would you add those things if the primary ingredient is dragon and the venom!"

Hannibal Roy Bean shook his head and gave off a loud chuckle. "Wuya, Wuya, Wuya… Surely you must add somethin' so the darn thing don't taste repulsive! Who's gonna' wanna' eat dragon – butt without something to level the flavors a bit?"

The Heilyn Witch rolled her eyes and sat down on the counter as she watched the green muck boil over the heat. "And when will the venom be added?"

"When Chase Young _does_ what he does _best_. When will the venom of that snake be ready?"

Wuya filed down her long nails, careful not to have her hands anywhere near the soup. There was no need to add something else into the soup, or else it will alter the concoction in a way it shouldn't be. "Probably by tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?"

_"Why are you so concerned? Are you going somewhere?"_

Even with their new pact of alliance, it was hard to trust one another. Wuya and Chase Young needed the Moby Morpher to advance to their plans. If Hannibal Bean double – crosses them both, there will be no point to continue.

The large bean's eyes widened. "Oh, um, of course not."

"Well it better be that way, Hannibal, or _else_."

"Or else what?"

_"Or else you'll be done for in the Ying – Yang world once we retrieve the Shen Gon Wu."_ The Evil Lord's low voice echoed in the kitchen. Behind him, two of his cats followed him in.

Ying-Ying screeched loudly as it took flight onto the highest part of the kitchen ceiling. Chase Young took a deep sniff in the air and his eyes almost illuminated a bright green. He was so drawn to the smell of the soup. Wuya jumped off the counter and walked behind Chase Young.

"What makes you think I'll double – cross you two?"

"I did it to you once. You can do it to me in the future."

Hannibal Roy Bean laughed. "You're afraid of me, aren't ya', boy?"

Chase Young glared at the large bean with hateful eyes. "Fear is what can make someone most dangerous, Hannibal Bean."

#

The Dragon of Fire fell down against the hot earth with great force. Master Monk Guan landed on both of his feet a few inches away from the girl. They've been practicing all morning. After yesterday's success in her pounce – tactics, Kimiko was sore from the neck down.

She struggled to stand as Monk Guan sighed. "Perhaps you are not ready to move onto the second lesson."

This made Kimiko uneasy and had her standing upright with clenched fists. "I'm definitely ready. Cat's Eye Draco! Arrow Sp-"

Monk Guan held an opened hand to Kimiko's face. "No Elemental Shen Gon Wu, or weapon."

"But I haven't practiced with these in a_ long _time."

"Please, do not argue with me, young dragon."

"Yes, sir…"

Master Monk Guan put his hands behind his back. "You must only train with the strength of your mind and body…. Nothing else."

The Dragon of Fire took a deep breath, closed her eyes and cleared her mind. With this being done, Monk Guan stepped back several paces and turned to see Kimiko's steady and graceful arm movements. She opened her eyes and remembered the movements from yesterday. Her running was swift, but Monk Guan's movements were much faster. He moved out of the way before she reached a point to when she was going to jump.

She landed several feet behind him with a foot and knee to the ground. The young girl stood from her crouching stance and turned to face her temporary master. The man had his arms crossed and shook his head… He was still unimpressed.

The quiet monks gathered from around the training yard with watchful eyes and smiles of satisfaction. This was the first time Monk Guan has ever allowed them to watch Kimiko and him train.

The Dragon of Fire made it her mission to not fail Monk Guan for the remainder of time she was meant to be at his temple.

She ran toward him again. "Wudai Mars, Fire!" Her voice echoed around the whole environment. The monks elbowed one another and pointed with laughter.

Master Monk Guan moved away once more and landed on the crouching position. Kimiko was feet away but she was still coming in full speed. The man searched through his tunic and took out a little star – shape object. "Let us fight fire, with fire… _Star Hanabi!_"

Kimiko's eyes widened at the sight of fireballs aiming right towards her. She groaned as she swiftly dodged each and every one. "Hey! No fair… You said no Shen Gon Wu!"

Monk Guan laughed loudly. "For you… I never meant that for me."

Kimiko snarled in discontent as she turned to face the biggest fireball that came straight to her. The monks gasped in fear that the teenage girl will be harmed with Monk Guan's training session.

The Dragon of Fire took a deep breath and shouted, "Wudai Fire Shield!"

A large dome of fire emerged over her head. The ball of fire collided heavily onto the surface of the dome of fire. Loud sounds of explosion filled the air. All monks hid behind walls and fences for safety. Monk Guan was blown feet off the ground and then back down again on his bottom. Kimiko looked up to see that Monk Guan was on the ground.

The temporary master got up to his feet and patted the dirt off of his clothes. "Well done."

The other monks emerged from their hiding spots and took view with great admiration to the Dragon of Fire. For some when training with Monk Guan, it had taken them a few weeks to advance from the second lesson.

The teenager walked toward her temporary master. "Does this mean that I'm ready to advance?"

Monk Guan looked at her. His lips curved to form a smile as he nodded. "You caught me by surprise, young one. Make yourself ready, young one. Today you will go to town with the others to prepare a feast."

"A feast? Why a feast?"

Minh popped out of a bush and smiled greatly toward Kimiko. "Today's my birthday!" she said lovingly.

Kimiko giggled. "Happy Birthday, Minh."

The small dragon leapt onto Monk Guan's shoulder. They both watched as Kimiko walked into the back door of the temple. A lot of the monks greeted her and congratulated her as they walked down the ten steps toward Monk Guan.

As soon as Kimiko disappeared behind the doors, the monks surrounded Monk Guan with haste.

"Why exactly is it that you wanted us to watch her train?" one asked.

Master Monk Guan looked down at every single monk. He sternly said, "Now that you have seen what Kimiko is capable of, you will be warned. Whatever danger lurks in the future, there is no telling whether the Dragon of Fire will be behind it. It is the reason why we are the ones who must keep her here safe, away from harm's way or in this case, Chase Young."

"But how can one be certain that he is after the girl?"

"All in good time, my friend," Monk Guan replied.

#

The loud wails of a child echoed through out the Xiaolin Temple. Master Fung stayed seated near Dojo far away from the training grounds, but close enough to see his students work.

"Blade of the Nebula!" Raimundo was the first to strike against the Sweet Baby Among Us. The golden child struggled through the hard waves of wind and the nun – chucks that kept fighting the baby's large hands.

The large baby pounded his fists against his chest and then placed his hands behind his head before thrusting its hips in the air. Large, golden diapers shot out each time he moved his hips forward. One landed right on top of Raimundo, ending his turn.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" Clay's weapon shot through the air toward the large boy.

The weapon managed to hit the baby's belly, but it did not do much damage. Clay's eyes widened as he was also taken down by a golden diaper.

"This is embarrassing!" Clay mumbled.

"Shimo Staff! Haii – yaa!"

Omi was the last to attack. He struck the Sweet Baby Among Us with the large rod. The best he could do was hit the baby on the toes. The large, golden baby stomped his feet around Omi before kicking him away. The Shen Gon Wu pounded his fists and wailed as it turned to its normal form.

Raimundo helped Omi stand up from the ground. "That was the worst but – kicking we've ever done…"

"Couldn't agree with ya' more, partner."

Master Fung picked up the Shen Gon Wu from the ground. "It seems to me as if you need more time to plan out your tactics."

"I guess we weren't paying attention," Raimundo said.

"Clear your minds, young ones. We will continue this lesson tomorrow morning."

#

The townsfolk greeted the monks with smiles. None of them have seen Kimiko around here before, but that did not stop them from greeting her with kindness, too. Every fruit stand was full of fresh picked apples, oranges, pears, and other delicious fruit.

Kimiko broke away from the group to explore the village by herself. So many people walked past her, unaware of who she was. A few people in the villages near the Xiaolin Temple knew who they were… Any day they decided to walk through the villages, many of the townspeople tipped their hats, bowed, waved, smiled, and talked to them about their travels and showdowns. Here, it was all different… Perhaps it was a good thing to keep herself in the down – low.

Many of the monks spread apart to various food stands. Some went to look at the fish, others the grains and fruits, and the remaining looked for decorative items for the dining hall.

The monks had told Kimiko not to wander off too much, but that she can explore. Minh was hidden in her tunic until she wriggled out and curled around her arm. To a few people who had not really seen Minh in her original form, they had thought the young teenager was carrying a very unfamiliar snake coiled around her arm. Others took notice that the pink, snake – like creature was indeed Minh.

"Good day to you, Minh, and to you, er… uh… uh…"

"Kimiko," the teenage girl added.

The old man bowed to her and smiled joyously. "Yes… And do you, Kimiko."

Minh's stomach grumbled as her escort walked around in curiousity. "I'm hungry. Monk Guan told me to keep my appetite in control for the feast, but I need to eat something…"

"How about an apple, Minh?" Kimiko asked as she grabbed an apple from one of the fruit stands and flipped a coin toward the kind woman.

"Well, it's not truly the greatest lunch I can ever get, but an apple is enough for now."

The young girl and the dragon headed further and further away from the crowd of villagers and the farmer's market.

"Kim, I – uh, think we should start heading back."

"Nonsense," Kimiko said as she put her hand to her hip and laughed. "What's life without adventure?"

"Kimi," Minh insisted. "It was my promise to keep you safe. And having you leave the others is not a great idea. Though many people are kind here, some are to be not trusted."

Kimiko placed her finger against her lips and advised her dragon friend to stay quiet as they walked toward an ally. "We can come in here, climb the walls and over the rooftops and then-"

A sudden scream caught the girl off guard. "What was that?" Minh asked as she slithered off of Kimiko's arm and slithered her way through her ally. She caught sight of the townsfolk running from the market and hiding in any place possible.

"Kimiko! Come, we must leave now!"

"What's happening?"

The Dragon of Fire ran to the dragon's side as she, too, caught glimpse of the chaos in the village. "Come on," she said as she started climbing one of the brick walls.

"Kimiko, get back here! We must leave!" Minh hissed.

"Minh, trust me! Things like these always happen, and I've always dealt with them."

"Yes, but when you're with the others. Now come down this instant!"

"No way," Kimiko said as she looked down at the dragon that now had her claws on her sides. "Oh, come on, Minh! This is the most fun I can have this whole week! The only excitement I get is competing for Monk Guan's satisfaction every day and even that doesn't please me…"

Minh rolled her eyes and sighed. She began to slither upwards on a rain gutter as Kimiko continued her climbing. The roof was not at all tall, but it was a great spot to look over the townsfolk. Kimiko squinted as she caught sight of metallic figures emerging from the crowd.

"Robots? That can only mean one thing… _Jack Spicer! _But what is he doing here?"

But the more Kimiko squinted, the clearer it had become. Those metallic beings that were emerging from clouds of dust were not at all robots… The armor looked so familiar that it made Kimiko shutter in fear. Hannibal Roy Bean? But how did he multiply himself… Unless… "Oh no," Kimiko whispered.

"What? What?" Minh asked hastily as she wriggled around Kimiko's small body to reach her shoulder. "What's happening?"

#

"Yo! Someone's raided the vault! Who could have done this?"

Master Fung approached the monks with haste as Dojo slithered behind him. The Shen Gon Wu vault was completely open. Most of the windows were cracked, if not broken. The door was torn from the doorway and the vault was forced open.

"This is most troubling," Master Fung said. "The Ring of the Nine Dragons is missing… But who would take the Shen Gon Wu?"

"It couldn't have been Spicer," Raimundo said. "He would have taken all of the Wu, and not just one."

"It couldn't be… Chase Young, now would it?" Omi asked.

"Perhaps," Master Fung said. His voice was unsteady. "But why would he be interested in the Ring of the Nine Dragons?"

"Well," Clay said as he rubbed his chin. "Chase Young is now allied with Hannibal Bean… Per'aps he's usin' it…"

"Forget the ring!" Dojo exclaimed. His body was shaking uncontrollably. "A new Shen Gon Wu has revealed itself!"

"Which one is it?" Omi asked as he ran toward the reptilian friend.

"It's called the Energy Drainer!" Dojo shouted.

"What does it do?"

Dojo shook his head. "Who cares! I'll explain on the way over there, just hop on!"

The dragon slithered toward the doorway and morphed to his giant self as the monks ran toward the door.

"What about Master Fung?" Omi asked.

The old monk shook his head and closed his eyes. "Not to worry, young ones. The other fellow monks will accompany me if there is anything wrong."

One by one, short and tall, silent monks stepped forward. No one knew from where they came from. As long as there were people helping, the monks had nothing to be afraid of.

Miles away from the Xiaolin Temple, the monks began to view the different mountain forms. Dojo's speed was quite impressive.

"Dojo!" Raimundo yelled as he struggled to hold onto the dragon. "You never told us what the Energy Drainer does!"

Dojo chuckled as he flew faster and faster. "Isn't it obvious? The Energy Drainer draws the power and energy of the opponent!"

Raimundo scowled upon the discovery.

Omi yelled loudly as he had lost his grip from Dojo's scales. The Dragon of Water began to fall quite fast down to the peaks of the mountains.

"Hold on, lil' partner! Lasso Boa Boa!"

The snake – like rope took hold of Omi with the Shen Gon Wu and pulled him back up. For his safety, He never lost his grip on the Lasso Boa Boa or Omi. The little monk was trailing behind in the air.

"This is most unsatisfying!" Omi shouted.

"I nah, I nah, but this is for yer own good!"

#

"It's Hannibal Roy Bean!" Kimiko exclaimed.

_"Thee Hannibal Roy Bean?"_ Minh gasped. "But why is he here?" The pink dragon shivered and shook her head in discontent. "I sense a Shen Gon Wu!"

"Well, that explains it." Kimiko jumped from one roof to the next, attempting to run closer and closer to the intruder.

"Kimiko!" Minh yelled behind her. "What are you doing?"

Kimiko looked behind her as she ran across the second roof. "I have to, Minh! I just have to!"

The young Dragon of Fire jumped with grace each time she came closer to the next roof. She was able to catch sight of the ten monks who had prepared themselves for battle against the nine foes that were all reflections of Hannibal Bean.

From previous experiences and events, Kimiko learned that the Ring of the Nine Dragons divided the person's personalities. But knowing Hannibal Roy Bean, he probably had this effect of the Shen Gon Wu under control. And Kimiko's assumptions proved to be correct. As each monk took their stand, every Hannibal Bean in black armor was able to conquer them. Each monk struck, and each one failed to defeat that warrior.

Kimiko felt the anger rise at her fingertips. "This is too far! These are innocent people…"

The Dragon of Fire jumped down from the building as she caught sight of one of the foes confronting the woman she had recently bought an apple from.

"Hand over the necklace!"

"No!" she argued. "This was a gift from my mother!"

Hannibal Bean lifted the wooden stand from the ground and threatened to crush her with it.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!" The sound of Kimiko's voice caught Hannibal Bean by surprise. He turned to face the massive fireball that headed toward his head. The evildoer dodged the attack quickly and called out the name of the ring.

"Well, well… This is where you were all along." Hannibal Bean laughed as Kimiko stood her ground. The other monks who were knocked out cold on the ground surrounded her. Minh slithered toward them and tried to wake them up. She only succeeded with one out of the ten.

"This is a bad, bad day," Minh said.

"What exactly is it that you want, Hannibal?"

"Chase warned me you were aggressive…" With this being said, Hannibal Bean laughed out loud as Ying – Ying flew overhead. "I'm here for the Shen Gon Wu."

The woman gasped in fear as she held onto the necklace. "But this is no Shen Gon Wu! This is a present from my mother!"

Kimiko looked to face the kind woman. "Leave the necklace… And run. Run far from here."

The woman was puzzled, but for her own safety she unclipped the precious necklace and slammed it on the table. She then ran swiftly past the many houses and stores.

"How brave of you," Hannibal taunted. "But I can't quite compliment your strengths!"

"Hmmpf…" Kimiko smirked. "These words come from a bean that needs armour and the Moby Morpher to fight!"

"I'll have ya' know that I am stronger than ya'!"

"Enough talk," Kimiko said. "Show me what ya' got!"

_"Enough!"_ Chase Young's voice penetrated the air. He, Wuya, and the jungle cats headed toward the same direction as Kimiko.

The Dragon of Fire was surprised by the large number of giant felines that had crouched on all fours, ready to strike against her. Kimiko shifted her eyes toward the necklace. As she took a step forward, one cat jumped to her path.

Wuya happily made it to the fruit stand and tore the necklace apart. It was not the chain they needed, but the green emerald that brightly shined when faced with the reflection of the sun. Kimiko raised her eyebrow as Wuya laughed happily.

"The Energy Drainer is ours!" she shouted.

Minh's anger got the best of her. The pink dragon shifted into the great reptile that the female can form into. She growled loudly and the jungle cats were hesitant about attacking.

This was what Chase Young feared… With Minh by Kimiko's side, there was nothing he can do.

"Get away, or I'll make you into one of my soups!" he said.

Minh shook her head as she roared another great roar. "Chase Young…" she said. Her voice as a great dragon was almost like a humming sound. She puffed black, thick smoke from her nostrils. "We were once great friends… I wish to do you no harm, but if you provoke me…"

"Calm your scales," Chase Young replied. "I do not wish to harm Kimiko."

"No," Minh said. "At least not physically…"

"After all these years," Chase said, "you know me too well, Minh."

Hannibal Bean and Wuya were cowering behind Chase Young. Kimiko was hidden behind Minh's massive body.

"…But you, old friend, are not at all clever."

"I am not your friend… At least not anymore!"

Chase Young chuckled under his breath as he snatched the Shen Gon Wu from Wuya's grasp. "Energy Drainer!"

The dragon suddenly felt a woozy. She fell down with great force, hardly able to keep her large eyes open.

"Minh!" Kimiko called as she stroked the large beast's head. "Are you alright?"

Minh groaned. "I remember this one… Ugh, I've always hated it… Be strong, Kimiko. I'll be alright."

The Dragon of Fire watched as the great body of Minh slowly morphed back to the small reptile she originally was. She groaned in anger as she attempted an attack towards Chase Young, but as soon as her fist came in contact with him, she noticed that his armor was gone and all was left was the dark, green reptilian body that he turned into.

Kimiko gasped as his large claws grasped her. Kimiko was now two feet off the ground and struggling to get away. She could hear Wuya's taunting laugh and Hannibal Roy Bean's annoying laugh from behind him.

"Neither of you know what I am capable of just yet… Dragon of Fire, you are soon to find out!"

"Kimiko!" The familiar voice rang out from above.

The large body of a green dragon came into view. Kimiko looked up and was glad to see Dojo flying overhead.

"Get away from her!" The Dragon of the Wind's voice rang out once more. He jumped from Dojo's back. Behind him, Omi and Clay followed the Shoku Leader.


	17. Dangerous Encounters

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors._

* * *

Ch. 17

The arrival of the other three monks caught the Heilyn side off guard. Kimiko took the distraction as an advantage and kicked Chase Young hard against the chest. She flipped backwards and landed in a crouching position. The Energy Drainer fell out of the large reptile's claws and flew into the sky. Omi quickly ran, forgetting that Kimiko was in the village.

"Shimo Staff!" Omi yelled. The small boy struck one of the jungle cats that attempted to sieze the Shen Gon Wu.

Kimiko looked back and took notice that all the monks had also taken a stand. They were still quite tired from the previous beating of the nine Hannibal Roy Beans, but they were still quite ready to fight. Kimiko smiled as she nodded toward Raimundo and Clay as a gesture of great loyalty. Raimundo looked at Kimiko and smiled at her, right before she smiled at him. She stood beside him as did the other monks.

"We are ready," one monk said. He spoke for every single one of them as they stood behind the Shoku Leader.

"Show us the way, Raimundo," Kimiko said.

With those words coming out of her mouth, Raimundo gathered enough courage to finally make his stand. This could be one of the greatest moments for him. He had wanted to show people what he was capable of. At this time, it was not out of jealousy; it was from inside his heart. Here, Raimundo can show his friends and the enemy who he was… A Shoku Leader.

"Alright," he said. "Let's show these guys a piece of our minds!"

Omi joined the small army of monks to fight as one. Chase Young was very intrigued by Raimundo's effort to prove himself, but even so, Kimiko was still there beside him. Without her, he would have been lost… And this is exactly why Chase Young wanted to move forward with the plan. If Kimiko had that much will power within her, imagine what she could do by his side!

Raimundo charged first… "Crest of the Condore! Blade of the Nebula!" The large gusts of winds blew dust into the eyes of the enemy. Wuya was slightly blinded, but was still able to sense the elemental Shen Gon Wu near her. With this, Wuya took hold of the teenage boy's leg and thrusted him against one of the older monks.

"Better luck next time," Wuya taunted as she rubbed the dust out of her eyes.

Hannibal Bean laughed as he walked on forward in his black armor to confront the Shoku Warrior.

"I reckon it's ma' turn now," Clay said. "Longhorn Taurus! Big Bang Meteorang, do your stuff!"

With this, the great strength of the earth followed the elemental Shen Gon Wu. He aimed directly toward six of the jungle cats. With the collision, only two of them were swept off their paws and landed many meters away from their battlegrounds.

Three of the monks followed the Dragon of Earth toward the remaining jungle cats.

Kimiko and Omi were left to fend for themselves with the rest of the monks. Some ran to aid Raimundo as he fended off some jungle cats and Hannibal Roy Bean combined.

"Kimiko," one monk said. "It is best if you stay out of this. Run and take Minh away to safety."

Kimiko shook her head. "I'll not leave my friends here."

Omi ran forward with great speed as he called out the name of his element. "Wudai Neptune, Water!" Large streams of water escaped from his hands and struck most of the cats. As this battle between him and the cats continued, the monks gathered themselves in front of Kimiko. She frowned in discontent.

She watched in horror as Chase Young had taken his part to fight against Omi.

"Omi!" Kimiko shouted.

The ten monks swiftly ran toward the jungle cats to keep them away from Omi. The Dragon of Fire was left behind, unsure about what she should do… Help Clay… Help Raimundo… Or help Omi….

"Kimiko, what happened to Minh?" Dojo cried out. She looked down at the small reptiles. One was on the ground unconscious as the other had his body curved to inspect the other.

"She was attacked with the Energy Drainer – thing…" Kimiko replied.

Dojo stroked the pink dragon's back lovingly. "You'll be okay," he stated.

And that's it… Where is the Energy Drainer? From afar, Kimiko took notice of the Heilyn Witch tiptoe across the area. Kimiko ran toward her and took hold of the Shen Gon Wu. It glowed immensely. It was then that Kimiko realized Wuya was also holding onto the Shen Gon Wu.

"Kimiko," Wuya said. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

People around them did not realize of the second battle that was about to grow. Kimiko smirked and looked at Wuya.

"Name your game, Wuya."

"As you wish… The game is hide – and – seek. First to find the Shen Gon Wu in the village wins…"

"_You're on!_ I bet-"

Wuya raised her hand. "But there's a _twist_."

Kimiko groaned in dissatisfaction.

_"No Shen Gon Wu!"_ Wuya growled.

Kimiko nodded. "I accept your challenge Wuya!"

With the acceptances made, Wuya and Kimiko took a deep breath and shouted: "Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

The ground began to rumble with intense movement. The monks and Heilyn evildoers looked down in confusion. Everyone turned to look at the center of the village block and spotted Kimiko and Wuya standing face to face. The buildings around them began to shake and extended outwards toward the sky. The emerald jewel that was The Energy Drainer pulled itself out of Kimiko and Wuya's grasp. It flew rapidly into a window.

Kimiko and Wuya looked at each other and then back to their comrades. The Xiaolin monks looked down to see that their robes had suddenly appeared. The earth cracked and a large hill began to form from underneath Kimiko and Wuya. The monks gathered on one side of the village as the Heilyn evildoers gathered on the other side. Chase Young was back to his human form, but still did not keep his eyes of his former apprentice, Omi.

As the last building rose to the sky and expanded its sides to a most unusual form, The Heilyn Witch and Dragon of Fire looked down the hill.

"Gong Yi Tan Pai!"

And the showdown started…

Kimiko ran down the slope and headed toward the building where the Shen Gon Wu was last seen entering. Wuya was still on top of the slope looking around to catch any sight of the Energy Drainer.

Kimiko was somewhat glad Wuya did not bet any Shen Gon Wu, simply because she wasn't armed with anything besides her Elemental Shen Gon Wu and weapon. She wouldn't want to bet that away, especially after her defeat from Chase Young. Though she had won Wuya once for the Moby Morpher, ever since her defeat against Chase Young, she has doubted herself. This was definitely the time to prove her strength.

"Go Kimiko!" Raimundo cheered behind her. Kimiko was distracted by his shouts and Wuya suddenly kicked her from behind, causing The Dragon of Fire to fell down to the ground.

"Ummff!" Kimiko groaned when she collided against the hard concrete.

Wuya ran off laughing into the building.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!" Kimiko shouted as she brought herself to her feet. The young Wudai warrior shot fire balls toward the Heilyn Witch. Wuya gasped and threw herself to the ground. The fire did not strike the woman, but it indeed struck the building.

"Help me!" screamed a woman.

Kimiko gasped. There was a woman shouting behind large flames. Her head poked out the window and she was crying loudly. "Oh, no…" Kimiko whispered to herself.

Omi prepared himself to call out the name of his element, but a monk stopped him from doing so. "No matter how brave your rescue may be, Omi, you will be interfering with the Showdown."

Wuya snarled as she looked at the woman who was pleading for help. "Well, this is the first…" She laughed devilishly as she round – kicked hard against the building. This caused a great explosion and caught the woman by surprised. The fire had started to spread and the Energy Drainer flew out of the building. Wuya ran to the Shen Gon Wu and left Kimiko behind pending on whether she should continue the Showdown to win the Energy Drainer, or risk losing to save the woman.

"Kimiko!" Clay shouted. "Do what ya' can, lil' lady! Save the gal!"

Raimundo and Omi nodded to Clay's response. Kimiko's eyes were peering from over the scarft. She ran toward the building, leaving Wuya to find the Shen Gon Wu. This had become something she never anticipated… What were villagers doing in the buildings?

The Dragon of Fire jumped forward and caught hold of the windowsill where the woman was. Her hands caught on fire, but she did not mind. In a way, she was absorbing the energy of the fire. The flames on her arms and hands disappeared as Kimiko walked toward the woman. What she did not expect was the children cowering behind her.

"How many people are in here?" Kimiko asked as the crackling sound of fire became louder and louder.

The woman coughed. "I wouldn't…know…"

"Wudai Fire Shield!" Kimiko yelled and a large dome of fire formed over the people. Kimiko decided to keep away and advised them to run out the door, for the shield only holds up for fifteen seconds. The woman nodded and headed downstairs with the children underneath the safety of the dome.

Kimiko began hearing pounding at the walls and noises coming from all directions. This was what told her that there were more people in the building. Kimiko closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of the environment and the flames. She began harnessing her inner Chi and placed her hands on the enflamed walls…

"She's been there for a while," Raimundo said. "You think she's all right?"

"I dunno'," Clay said.

"It is her element," Omi said, "She must be okay."

Chase Young stared toward the building. His lips formed to curve a smile. The Evil Lord sensed that Kimiko was beginning to harness a power she has never done before.

Within the building, Kimiko groaned and struggled to absorb all of the fire, but it was too much. Though she absorbed some, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "W – wudai…" The smoke she inhaled began to hurt her head. This was not at all right… Was the fire harming her? The fear of hurting herself in the building and hurting the others made her heart sink. "I have to do this!" Kimiko groaned loudly as she exclaimed, "Wudai Fire Shield!"

This time, the dome did not emerge from around her body. Instead, the fire shield spread through out the walls and through out the building. She could hear the people running from the building, slamming doors, and stomping through the hallways. Kimiko's eyes began to water. This required much more power…

She could not hold onto the fire shield any longer… She harnessed her inner Chi once more… _"Wudai Fire absorption!"_

The energy of the fire began to kill down the fire shield. Flames of the fire were beginning to wrap around Kimiko's body. This was too much to handle. With a sudden movement of her hands, the fire exploded outward. Kimiko fell back and collided with the wall. Her eyes closed for only a minute. When she fluttered her eyelids open, she took notice that the fire was gone… for now.

The Dragon of Fire was amazed by her new ability… It was something no one taught her… In fact, this was something she didn't think she could do. "The Shen Gon Wu!"

Kimiko struggled to get back to her feet. She looked out the window and found Wuya climbing the dome again. Above it, the Energy Drainer was floating. In a split second, Wuya took hold of the Energy Drainer and the Xiaolin Showdown was all over.

#

"Well done Wuya," Chase Young said.

The Heilyn Witch held out the Energy Drainer toward Chase Young. He received it carefully into his hands. "Oh, Chase," she said. "Did you underestimate me?"

Chase Young snarled. "There is much I underestimate about you, Wuya… Such as your loyalty to me."

Wuya laughed. "Dear, Chase… I've never sworn your loyalty, but you can always trust me."

The Evil Lord shook his head as she crossed his arms and looked over to see a disappointed Kimiko crawl out of the window. The villagers cheered her on and thanked her for saving them… But if it weren't for her, they'd still be safe.

Raimundo, Omi, and Clay ran toward her.

"I lost the Shen Gon Wu! This is the second time in a row!"

"Kimiko," Raimundo insisted. "Who cares? You saved the people, that is enough to praise."

Kimiko sighed as she looked at the Shoku Warrior wearily. The monks patted her back as they greeted her.

"Kimiko!" A familiar voice rang out in the air. Kimiko froze and widened her eyes as she looked down to the ground.

Behind her, and angered Master Monk Guan eyed her. Dojo and Minh were on each of his shoulders. The pink dragon was still weary, but strong enough to keep straight.

Kimiko turned to face her temporary master. The townspeople allowed him to cut through the crowd.

"Kimiko, what has happened?"

Ten minutes had passed and Kimiko explained what had occurred. The other Xiaolin monks stayed silent.

"Whether you saved them or not, your recklessness caused the fire in the first place! I am very disappointed in you…"

"Master," one of the monks said. "It was not her fault."

Monk Guan nodded and looked down at the ten monks that lowered their heads. "I see… Then you all must also be punished."

Kimiko shook her head. _"No way! It was my element that caused it. It was my fault. They held me back, but I didn't obey."_

"Either way, you must all face the consequences."

Kimiko shook her head and moved away as Monk Guan placed a large hand on her shoulder. "Get away from me!" Kimiko snapped back.

"Kimiko," Minh insisted for her words to be heard but Kimiko stepped away from the crowd.

"No! I'm sick and tired of being shunned by all of you!"

Kimiko walked away without another word. Monk Guan stepped forward, but Dojo stopped him. "It's best to let her wander off and cool down… Tomorrow is when she'll be good to start anew."

Monk guan sighed as he looked over to the other monks. "Let us go home…"

Dojo hopped off from the old master's shoulder and shifted to his large self. "By the way," Dojo started as the other monks hopped onto his back. "Happy Birthday, Minh."

Minh shook her head and sighed. "Yeah," she said muttered… _"Happy Birthday to me…"_


	18. Intentions

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. Hope you enjoy... _

* * *

Ch. 18

Flying back to Xiaolin Temple took much more time than it did to head toward the village. Dojo was flying calmly now, and taking his time. They had only recently passed the mountains and were now flying over the forest.

"And to think I'd be the only one to raise my voice to Monk Guan," Raimundo said. He was facing Omi and Clay as he leaned against the back of Dojo's neck.

"But your anger against him was only deception," Omi stated. "You weren't exactly mad at him. This was used against Hannibal Bean, remember?"

Raimundo rolled his eyes at this as he leaned over to look down at the forest. The Shoku Warrior sighed and sat back down. "The only thing that surprised me is what happened during the Showdown."

"Oh yes," Omi started as he raised his finger and closed his eyes. "I've never seen anything like that!" The young Dragon of Water opened his eyes. He used his fingers to stretch the skin on the cheekbones and pulled them down as he said, "The fire disappeared right before my very own eyes and then came back again!"

"Yah," Clay started as he stretched his arms outward and groaned in pain. "That was sure somethin'… Ya' think we can learn somethin' like that when we rise to Shoku, partners?"

Raimundo shrugged. "Ever since I rose up, Master Fung has not taught me anything…"

Dojo cleared his throat. "That is because at the time you must teach yourself something new. This is all part of Master Fung's new teaching tactics…"

"Well why couldn't he just say so?"

"I never really liked that about him… He's always talking in riddles. And to think, after all these years guarding the scroll, I'd be used to this."

The Xiaolin Monks looked forward and saw the sun setting beyond the horizon. The different mixtures of gold, yellow, and blue illuminated wondrous colors and gave off the beauty that was nature. As they looked toward the sunset, the bright colors reminded them about the great fire that spread onto the building. This also led them to wonder where Kimiko was…

#

The forest was getting dark. She knew where to go to get back to the temple, but right now she did not want to go back. This was the only privacy she has gotten ever since she had come to live with Monk Guan… Minh was always around, if she wasn't with Minh, three monks would trail behind her and served her for what ever she needed. Kimiko remembered her life with her father, but didn't quite remember the servants waiting on her twenty – four hours a day. The young girl sighed as she wiped away the tears that built up from under her eyes.

There was no need to cry… In fact, she was calm enough to think about what she has done. _It would be wise,_ she thought, _to go back to the temple now and plead Master Monk Guan for forgiveness… _

Kimiko sighed as she sat down on a large boulder. She placed her elbows on her knees and hid her face in her hands. A sudden scuffling noise from the trees startled the young teenager. She sprung to her feet and looked around cautiously, fists clenched to her sides.

"Who's there?" Kimiko asked. Her voice was stern.

There was no answer. The Dragon of Fire looked up to the treetops, but could not quite see what it was that made the shuffling sound. Her fists were lowered as she looked up at the sky.

"Hm… It's getting late anyway," she said to herself as she caught glimpse of the setting sun. "I probably should start heading back…"

Kimiko walked toward the manmade path. As she walked forward, she heard the scuffling sound again, but this time it was heard from behind. The Dragon of Fire turned around. She seemed pretty annoyed by this.

"Alright, who's out there? Come out, or I'll go looking for you!"

A low, gruff voice traveled through the air. "As you wish," it said.

From the treetops, a large figure of a man jumped off. The hair trailed behind him… _Chase Young! _Kimiko thought. She stepped back and was ready to take out her elemental weapons, but his voice stopped her from doing so.

"_What is it that you want, Chase Young?_ I'm in no mood to play your stupid games!"

The Evil Lord chuckled under his breath as she stepped forward from the shadows of the trees. His reptilian eyes came to view the Dragon of Fire.

"What interests me, young warrior, is that your heart is in the right place, but your mind interferes."

"What do you mean?"

Chase Young smiled as he walked toward the teenager. For any reason, Kimiko did not flinch, or prepared herself for battle. Instead, she allowed Chase Young to stand inches away. She realized that her height has definitely evolved… She was only two inches away from his eyes.

"I saw that you wanted to go after the Shen Gon Wu… But instead, you proved your bravery in saving the people in the village."

Kimiko shook her head and pointed her thumb toward her chest. "I had to! It was my fault."

"Oh, Kimiko," he said. His voice was more intriguing and soothing. It was almost as if he cared for the young Wudai Warrior. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Again, Kimiko did not move away. "Nothing was your fault… It was a _mistake_."

"A very dangerous one."

"Even if it was dangerous, you saved the people and what was your reward? _Punishment!_ Is that really what someone like you: strong, smart, and brave really deserves?"

Kimiko wrinkled her eyebrows together and scowled into his reptilian eyes. "Why are you here? You've caused me and my friends enough damage."

Chase snarled at this and moved away from the girl. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "There you go _again_… Talking about your _friends_."

Kimiko's eye twitched and looked quite worrisome. "What do you mean?"

The Evil Lord smiled. "Like you said, dear Kimiko… They've shunned you one – too many times."

Trees around them shook as the wind around them pushed heavily against them. Kimiko's eyes widened. "How did you know I said that?"

"I am not deaf, young one… They do not understand you…"

"And you do?"

"I know what it feels like to be underestimated. And yet, here I stand; the greatest evildoer in the world."

Kimiko crossed her arms and stood straight as Chase Young turned around to see her. "What exactly are you going with this?"

"Times are hard, Kimiko… You need a friend."

The teenage girl smirked. "Are you suggesting yourself?"

"What's wrong with that?" His eyes were locked into her blue eyes and he raised a thick eyebrow.

This made Kimiko very nervous. She took a deep breath before saying, "Everything… It's wrong with everything I believe in and lived up to."

Chase Young snapped his fingers and a green haze of smoke appeared beside him. It was almost like watching television because the minute Kimiko laid her blue eyes on it, Kimiko began to see her reflection. But what was different was that she was standing in front of her comrades. Kimiko's eyes widened. "What is this?"

Chase Young stood behind her as he crossed his arms. The images moved and Kimiko's reflection was fighting against the other monks.

"My Heilyn powers are most interesting, aren't they? I can sense what you truly yearn… Your thoughts, hopes, and feelings are all animated here. Is this what you truly want? To be better than the others?"

Kimiko shook her head and closed her eyes. She moved away and the green cloud disappeared. The Dragon of Fire turned to face the Evil Lord. "You can't manipulate me into believing this!"

Chase shook his head and laughed. "You do not understand. This is what you want. If you want it, why not pursue it?" Kimiko looked away with sad eyes. "Are you afraid? Afraid of what?"

Kimiko did not respond and continued to look down.

"Surely the answer is not in the dirt, Dragon of Fire." Chase Young sighed as he looked down at her. "Your friends are not truly your friends, young one. Believe me… Raimundo is greedy and the others will try and try again to prove themselves They'll do what ever it takes to prove themselves to Master Fung. Omi has done it once… Raimundo has done it once… What's stopping you?"

His words were contemplating in her head. She tried her best to keep her eyes on the ground. But as minutes passed, Kimiko looked up into the reptilian eyes of Chase Young. "You can't prove anything."

Chase Young looked away and took out two wooden rods from behind him. It is unsure how he had done this, but of course, his Heilyn magic is very mysterious. He pushed one into her hands. "I can teach you, Kimiko. I can teach you how to harness that power you did in the showdown and much more. All I ask is-"

"I will not swear my loyalty to you." Kimiko's voice was low, cold, and quite stern.

Chase Young smirked. "It won't matter right now… If you agree for me to teach you, you won't have to say a word to anyone… No one will ever need to know."

Kimiko looked away. "I – I," she hesitated. "I don't know."

"Well, think about it," Chase Young said. "If you accept my offer, we will meet once again in two days time."

When the Dragon of Fire looked up to see him, he was gone. The wooden rods were also gone.

#

Hours had passed and young Kimiko had arrived to the temple. The one thousand steps she climbed with dignity and with no fear. Right on the top step, Master Monk Guan was waiting for her with his hands behind his back. Kimiko bowed to him and was silent. She was told the first day of training to only speak when spoken to, unless she really had something to say. At the very moment, Kimiko was unsure whether her apologies would gain Monk Guan's satisfaction of having her be his student.

"The one thousand steps were designed to punish those who have dishonored their own title. As you climb your way back home, you think about what you have done, why you have done it, and what you will do to make sure that mistake will never be caused again."

Kimiko looked up to see him. "The walk did me good, Master," Kimiko stated. "I thought about what I have done and I am deeply sorry for the humiliation I have caused you in front of the villagers. My intentions were not to do so. I realize that my actions were completely mindless." She sighed as her eyes drifted away from his. "I am also sorry for not listening to the monks to keep away."

Master Monk Guan nodded. "Go to your room, Kimiko, and rest. We will call you when the feast is prepared."

"With all do respect, sir," Kimiko said as she bowed before him. "These thoughts had made me lose my appetite."

Monk Guan sighed. "As you wish, young one. I bid you a good evening."

Kimiko made her way into the temple. All of the monks were silent as they looked away from her. She felt awful already, and their actions were causing the Dragon of Fire more heartbreak. Kimiko ran through the hallways and reached her room. She looked inside with great caution. The pink dragon was not in sight. She closed the door and sat on the sleeping matt.

With the silence of the room and the view of the shining moon allowed Kimiko to concentrate in peace. The turn of events had made her very uneasy. Oh, how she wished this had never happened. Kimiko began to replay every single thing that went on in the forest… Chase Young's arrival, the certain conversation of friendship, and his propositions to teach her new skills that will surely let her prove herself to her friends.

"But are they my friends?" Kimiko asked herself. "Or am I not a friend to them?"

Kimiko felt like she was betraying them. She shook her head as she got up from the matt and walked toward the window. There, she could see the reflection of who she was. But was this really her, or was this what she had seen in Chase Young's visions?

There was one thing for sure that Chase Young did know about her… Kimiko's intentions were exactly those that he had presented her. She did want to prove herself, but at what cost?

* * *

_I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, but hey! - What can I say? I love leaving cliffhangers._


	19. A Twist

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors... Please, enjoy!_

* * *

Ch. 19

Everything was left in the sidelines. What she believed in, whom she cared for was all there. Today, her thoughts lingered on decisions. It was wrong for Kimiko to think twice about accepting Chase Young's offer, but how can she easily forget about it all? It's hard. It's hard to try to live up to your title as a Xiaolin Monk, the Dragon of Fire, and still be the last person to think about. All names that are mentioned at once are those of Raimundo, Omi, and Clay… Perhaps because she is the only girl in the group? Either way, she had always been in the sidelines. This is her decision. The Dragon of Fire had not slept because she had this to think about.

It will always be her decision, and it has been made.

Sounds of birds chirping by her window made the young teenage girl look up. She has not been sleeping, but she had hidden her face in her hands, as she lay on the sleeping matt. Minh was beside her on her own bed, fast asleep covered in cake crumbs.

Today, the sun did not shine as it usually did. It was a bit cloudy, and a blinding haze of thick fog surrounded the temple. Kimiko didn't care much for the weather change. Not much was in her mind besides the decision. Yes… She will go to Chase Young. She will go to him, but for what? It was this last choice she will have to still think about. Will she reject his offer, or allow him to teach her what Monk Guan or Master Fung had not taught her just yet…? In fact, will they ever teach her?

The Dragon of Fire walked to the bathroom and did what ever she usually did every morning. Her hair was still like it was yesterday. There were dark circles around her eyes, but she didn't quite care. Splashing cold water on her face only relieved her drowsiness momentarily before she caught herself yawning away in front of the mirror.

There, laid out in front of her, today's Xiaolin robes remained. She quickly changed into the red and black tunic, white leggings and laced her slippers. It was a daily activity for her that she had come accustomed to ever since she stepped foot in the Xiaolin Temple. It's probably been over three years since she had been chosen to participate.

She stood from the floor and could hear Minh snore away. She wanted to apologize to her personally for not listening to Minh's warnings, but now was definitely not the time. Today, her training will begin with lesson 3. Perhaps, if the other monks are around to view the training, she will apologize to them. Hopefully, Master Monk Guan had not punished them like he had said he would.

The hallways were empty. The monks were probably still asleep and tired from last night's celebration. After all, Kimiko was up all night and the sounds had not quieted until two in the morning. She passed through the room chambers. The doors were completely closed and there was no sound. All was still. The main hall was completely clean to her surprise. And as she walked through the western hallways to head toward the training yard, she took notice that Master Monk Guan was nowhere to be seen.

Her belly rumbled. "I should probably get something to eat before he comes."

The kitchen was not so far from the training yard. It was almost as close to the same hallway. Everything was designed to be hidden.

Kimiko found slice of cake on the counter. It was pink and white frosting. A simple flower design was embedded into the white frosting. Kimiko quickly snatched it and quickly gobbled it down.

She took a swig of milk and washed the plate and cup. As she headed toward the training yard, Monk Guan's footsteps were heard from the other hall. Kimiko quickly ran to the training yard and sat down on the grass. In a way, this could show Monk Guan her eagerness to begin training.

The muscular man entered the yard. No one accompanied him, so there was no chance in asking the monks for forgiveness.

The temporary master had a wooden rod in one hand, and the Spear of Guan in the other. He tossed her the rod and he positioned himself to strike.

"We will not continue lesson 3 for some time, Kimiko. Today, you will show me what Master Fung has taught you so I can see where you stand."

Kimiko nodded and also positioned herself to strike against him. There they stood in the middle of the yard, face to face. The Dragon of Fire ran toward him, pointing the rod against him. Master Monk Guan stood still and struck the rod away from Kimiko. The wooden pole fell several feet away from her.

"Think before you strike."

Kimiko walked over to the weapon and positioned herself again. With so little time to think, she ran again, following the same strike as before. Instead of pointing against him, she positioned the rod in front of her, planted it on the ground and lifted herself. She twisted her body in such a way that allowed her to twirl with the support of the strong rod. She kicked him on the back, but this was still not enough to make him fall over.

"Monkey Strike!" he called as he ran toward her. As he jumped in the air, he positioned his arm for a clean punch, but Kimiko turned the tables on this one…

"Repulse the monkey!" With this, Kimiko bent backward and kicked him in the stomach, making a complete back flip.

Monk Guan landed on his feet, but turned around to see her in astonishment. "Who taught you that?"

Kimiko took a deep breath. "Omi taught us one time. I never really used it."

Monk Guan raised his eyebrow. He seemed somewhat suspicious of her.

"What?" she added. "Did you think Chase Young taught it to me simply because he taught Omi?" The temporary master did not respond. Kimiko sighed deeply as looked away from him. "You know, just because I defied your commands once, does not mean-" Kimiko paused before finishing her sentence.

"Doesn't mean what, Kimiko?"

Could Kimiko really say she would never do it again? Not too long ago, she spoke to Chase Young and hesitated to answer his request to teach her. "… It doesn't mean you can't trust me." Yes… Yes it does mean that because right now she is arguing with herself about Young's requests. Finishing the sentence was almost a struggle for Kimiko. She needed to lie…

Monk Guan nodded. "Perhaps you are right, Kimiko."

Minh came slithering down the stairs with quick motion. She looked overhead to see the two monks preparing themselves for another brawl, but her shouts is what stopped it.

"Wait!" she cried. "Stop everything!"

Just the day before, Minh was drained from her energy by a Shen Gon Wu Kimiko has never heard of. At the moment, the pink dragon seemed very healthy and sane… The effect of the Energy Drainer was only temporary, but it varies according to how the possessor uses it against the foe.

"What's the matter?" Kimiko asked. Minh ignored her question and slithered right past her toward Monk Guan. Kimiko frowned upon this, but the dragon had every right to be angry with her. The Dragon of Fire almost got her into trouble with Monk Guan.

"What's wrong?" Guan asked, following Kimiko's previous question.

To him, Minh answered. She had to, anyway. He was her master since the day she arrived at the temple. "Someone awaits you at the front gate."

Monk Guan scowled and looked down at the reptilian friend. "But I am not expecting anyone."

"Well, I don't know who she is, but she says she is delivering an urgent message for our guest."

#

Many short monks meditated by the front gate. This was quite common within the first few months the Xiaolin monks had arrived. Master Fung was walking around with Dojo on his shoulder. The green dragon spoke to him about Minh's condition the other day and all the old monk can tell him is that the effect is not temporary. Raimundo, Clay and Omi walked through the hallways trailing behind their master in silence.

"No training today," Omi started to say, "this is not good."

"Omi, partner, ya' gotta' learn how to enjoy the simple things in life."

Raimundo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, dude, you gotta' take it slow."

"I'll rather go fast," Omi said with confidence. Raimundo and Clay looked at each other, perplexed by the small monk's words, but they didn't bother to say anything.

They overlooked the courtyard and found ten monks meditating in silence. Omi raised his eyebrows in amazement. "I've never seen them all meditate at once in peace. We have much to learn from their methods."

Raimundo crossed his arms as he shook his head and tapped his foot. "Now is not the time to sit down and close your eyes. To me, meditating has always been pointless."

"And why do you say that, young one?" Master Fung's voice rang out from behind him, catching Raimundo off guard. The Shoku Warrior stepped away from his path and joined Clay and Omi who were smirking and leaning against the wooden railing. Raimundo frowned upon this. Dojo hopped off from the shoulders of Master Fung and wriggled away from the group and into the doors that lead to the main hall.

"Well, um…" Raimundo thought about a perfect explanation for his words, but he couldn't think of something to argue with. So, instead he said the first thing that came to mind. "It's slow."

Omi's eyes widened as he raised his arms in the air in confusion. "But you just said you'd rather live the slow life!"

"I said _simple_, not _slow_…" replied Raimundo.

"Meditation is a simple way to learn about the world around you. Listen to the breeze, the rush of the water from the fountain… Feel the freshness of the earth and the warmth of the sun."

"I say ya' just described the elements, Master Fung," Clay said.

"Indeed, Clay. These are all the many things we overlook… From the beautiful structures of the trees, to the smallest shadows."

Raimundo put his hand behind his neck as he sighed. "It doesn't sound so simple. Why do we have to study these things? They're there every day!"

"Studying things carefully leads a man or woman to great discovery… Perhaps you will understand, Raimundo, if you meditated with the other monks today."

Raimundo groaned in annoyance.

"Don't think of this as a punishment, Raimundo," Omi suggested.

"Listen to the others, Raimundo. It will do you good."

Raimundo hopped over the railing and walked steadily to the group of meditating monks. Beneath the morning sunlight, their white robes gave off a strong reflection. The Shoku Warrior sighed as he took a seat beside the oldest man. He closed his eyes as he crossed his legs.

Clay and Omi watched from afar.

"This is going to be hard to watch…" Clay said. "How long ya' reckon he'll last?"

Omi shrugged. "Raimundo? Ha-ha… Perhaps not very long."

"I heard that!" Raimundo called out. The monks around him hushed him. The Shoku leader was startled and quickly turned his back away from the other two.

As Omi and Clay made their way to the main hall, Master Fung came running out of the Shen Gon Wu vault and into the courtyard.

"Stop what ever you are doing!" he commanded.

All of the old monks turned to face Master Fung, including Raimundo who sighed out of satisfaction.

"What's the problem?" he said.

Omi and Clay walked back to their original spots to hear what their master had to say.

The old monk could not catch his breath. For this, Dojo wriggled out of his sleeve and jumped onto the ground. Every monk got up from their spots and walked over to the green dragon and the old man who was now bent over and holding onto his knees for support.

"Believe it or not, my friends… The Ring of the Nine Dragons was not the only Shen Gon Wu that was stolen!"

"What do you mean?" asked Omi as he and Clay jumped over the railing to join the crowd. "When we checked they were all there."

"What I mean is that the ones you see in there now are all fake!"

#

Jack Spicer bobbed his head over and over as he listened to the loud beats and rhythms of his rock music. For a while, he has been working on a new army of robots. There was not much scrap metal to use, but his new designs for the robots looked promising… The robots were smaller, which meant they were a lot faster than the usual ones he built. One of the downsides to this design was that they did not carry as much ammunition as the original jackbots did. Just for precaution, Jack Spicer still made about fifteen of the larger robots using the original designs. The small robots were tinted with a silver color rather than the usual copper color the original ones carried.

The music was loud. His so – called evil lair was dark and dusty. It has been a while it had been cleaned and he began to take notice the moment he ran his index finger on one of the shelves. He blew onto the surface and a small cloud of dust appeared right below his nose. Just one whiff had the Evil Boy Genius sneezing repeatedly.

"Ti-ssue," one robot said. It extended its metallic arm out to Spicer.

As Jack extended his arm to retrieve the tissue from his creation, the arm extended to its full length and hit Spicer hard against the face, causing him to fall back on the floor.

"We seriously need to work on your aiming!"

"So-rry, Mas-ter."

"You better be," Spicer replied as he stood from the floor.

He walked toward his table to test out the prototype of his new robot. "This is exactly what I need… A faster robot that can withstand rock collision, water damage, tornadoes and combustion!"

He reached over to the radio to turn down the nozzle toward the left. This lowered the music for more concentration. Above, he heard the loud laughter of his mother. "I cannot work under these conditions…"

Jack Spicer pressed the little button on his watch. The small robot that was almost the same size of Omi's head came up in the air. It hovered there for a second. "Alright, let's see what you can do…"

Spicer ran to the side of the table and positioned a wooden target from the robot's reach. "Jackbot, attack!" The small, round robot gave off clicking sounds. Jack was thrilled to hear his prototype preparing the bullets. It zoomed left, right, and then back to its original spot. The nozzles of the automatic weapon on either arm opened up and then _BOOM!_ The robot exploded and caught on fire.

Jack Spicer screamed and hid behind his desk. He popped out a notepad from his pocket and a pen from the other as he began to jot down notes… _"Note to self… Make sure the pressure is corrected…"_

He peered up and saw that there was black oil leaking from each nozzle. He got back down on the floor and continued his note… _"Also, make sure none of the nozzles are flooded with oil."_

Jack got back up and took hold of the fire extinguisher. He pushed down the handle, but the white foam did not come out. He looked at the small flames coming to form around the oil. Jack put his eye near the nozzle of the extinguisher. He pulled on the handle and a large stream of white foam expelled from the nozzle. Jack screamed momentarily before aiming toward the flames.

"Great…" he said wearily.

As he turned to put the extinguisher back on the rack, Jack bumped into a hard figure. His eyes were closed and he assumed it was one of his robots. "Don't tell me you also need to be reprogrammed!"

_"Open your eyes, worm!"_

Jack screamed at the sound of Chase Young's voice. "Oh, um… Uh, Chase!" His knees became weak with fear. "What, er, are you doing here?"

Chase Young walked toward the table and saw the small, dark object that was now in three different pieces along with other several smaller ones that scattered all over the table and floor.

"I came to retrieve the Shen Gon Wu you took the other day in the jungle... Not to mention the ones you stole from the temple."

"What are you talking about?" Jack said.

"Oh please, Spicer… Who do you think sent Hannibal Bean to make his demands for the Ring of the Nine Dragons? You have the Shen Gon Wu I need and I want them both."

Jack Spicer stood up straight and raised a finger. "Well, you know what? No!"

Chase Young shook his head and laughed. "You make it seem as if you have a choice."

With a snap of his fingers, the Evil Lord called upon his jungle cats. One by one, they crowded around the Jack who was now shaking. "Give me the Wu and you won't be ripped to shreds."

Jack pressed the button on his watch and commanded, "Jackbots! Attack!"

None of them appeared before their creator. From their shelves, they fell over and were now disarmed.

"Don't think of me as a fool, Spicer…" Chase warned.

"What if we make a proposition?" Jack asked as he was now on his knees. The jungle cats grew nearer and nearer to him. "I give you the one Shen Gon Wu you need if I can keep the rest."

"No deal, Spicer. I need them both."

Jack got up again and crossed his arms. "And if I refuse?"

Chase Young shook his head and smacked his palm against his forehead. "You are a fool… Do I need to spell out your fate?"

The jungle cats loudly growled at the Goth. "Fine… I'll give you the Wu only if I can keep the rest!"

Chase Young nodded. "Consider it done, Spicer."

The teenage Goth ran over to a large safe he had hidden behind an old, crowded desk in the corner. He stuck his tongue out as he put in the combinations… "One. Two. Three." The door popped open and there was a large back of Shen Gon Wu there waiting for him. He popped his hand into the bag and took out exactly the two Shen Gon Wu Chase Young needed. He tossed them over to the Evil Lord and caught each one in swift movement.

"It's nice making business with you, Spicer…" Chase Young said as he walked out of the basement door. Behind him, the jungle cats followed. As he entered the bright light of the morning sun, Chase Young looked down to see the Ying Yo-Yo and Yang Yo-Yo in his hands.


	20. Notice

_I apologize for any grammatical errors._

* * *

Ch. 20

Monk Guan had sent his student to her bedroom. At the current time, Minh was on his shoulder explaining the appearance of the woman. She was described as really tall with a deep voice. Her fingers were long and she was completely covered with a black hood. Her eyes were described as large and a very emerald green. But she was old. At first, Master Monk Guan had come to think that the Heilyn Witch Wuya was the woman waiting at the door, but as soon as Ming mentioned she was very old, his worrisome thoughts settled.

The gates were opened as soon as Monk Guan stepped forward. There, standing in the cold air and thick fog, a woman raised her head to see Monk Guan. Yes… She was quite old… Gray hair. But who was she?

"Good morning," she started. Her voice was deep and quite calm. "I am here to deliver a message to a… a…" She reached into her pocket and took out a white envelope. As she looked down she raised her index finger and said, "a… Kimiko Tohomiko? Is she here?"

Monk Guan nodded. "She is here, but is not authorized to speak to strangers. Who are you, may I ask?"

"A messenger."

"Why, you are so old…" Minh said. "Why are you doing a young person's job?"

The woman's eyes widenened as she scratched her chin. She paused for a few seconds and her answer was this, "He's sick and in order for him to keep his job, I volunteered."

"What an honorable woman." Guan replied.

The old, nameless woman had the letter in her hand. Monk Guan bent over to take it from her hand. "Let me just take that to her-"

"NO!" she shouted. Her voice was gruff and high – pitched. The woman gasped, closed her mouth and said, "Oh, um, I'm sorry… I meant that it is my job to know if Kimiko gets this letter."

Monk Guan and Minh looked at each other in confusion. "Believe me. Kimiko will surely get her letter."

The old woman extended her arm toward Guan to give him the envelope, but as Monk Guan reached for it, she quickly pulled it away from his grasp. "And you won't look at it?"

Monk Guan shook his head. "Of course not. It will be dishonorable."

She handed him the letter and Monk Guan bowed before her. The old woman did the same, but when she bent over, her back cracked.

Minh jumped to the sound of her back. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, yes…" She straightened herself up again and began to hobble down the stairs.

The monks by the gates closed the door silently and Guan was in the empty hallway. He looked down at the letter.

KIMIKO TOHOMIKO. URGENT.

"She was very strange," Guan said.

"I agree," Minh said. "She looks like she was hiding something… What do you think is in the letter? Does it say who it was from?"

Monk Guan looked at it again and shook his head. "It only says her name."

"Should I go follow the woman?" Minh asked. "I can still sense her…"

Monk Guan looked at the dragon. She was still perched on his shoulder. "Yes, but do be careful, Minh."

#

"Moby Morpher!" The woman hidden underneath the dark cloaks had called out for the name of the Shen Gon Wu. No, this was not Hannibal Roy Bean… Wuya flipped her hair back and straightened her black robes as she continued down the path. She turned to see the temple and smirked. "I'm surprised that my actions didn't cause so much alarm… Of course, Guan like Dashi, they've never been so smart."

The Heilyn Witch walked steadily now through a different path. It was not the usual manmade path that leads to the village. Wuya had the Shen Gon Wu still attached to her arms, but hidden beneath the large sleeves. The route was quite serene, but even this did not seem to please the woman.

"Dumb birds and their ugly music…" she said as Wuya watched a robin perch on a tree branch.

The Heilyn Witch did not come to notice the certain dragon that was trailing behind her. Like Dojo, Minh was also capable of shape shifting into any creature, or person that she wishes. The only downside to this was that the scales were still somewhat visible. She stood out from the rest of the red robins. The feathers were much lighter… From afar, those pink feathers seemed like real feathers, but if seen closely, they were as thick as her scales. So Minh flew overhead, watching Wuya walk through the forest.

Even if Wuya didn't seem to care for the birds, she took notice of the only one that came to follow her. She raised a thin eyebrow as she squinted to look up at the pink bird.

_What happened to the old woman? Is that the Moby Morpher? _Minh thought. She took notice that Wuya was staring at her. This was a sure sign that this woman was up to no good…

But even so, Minh decided to descend from the sky and onto a rock. Wuya smiled devilishly as she saw the new creature. The feathers were beginning to become more noticeable. As Minh chirped to make the appearance of a bird, Wuya snatched her up and looked at her in the eye.

"Reveal yourself," she said in a rough matter. Her grip was strong and was becoming tighter and tighter.

Minh could not take it any longer, but she held her form.

Wuya laughed. "I'm not stupid, little thing… I know for a fact that birds do not have scales!" Wuya groaned in annoyance as she saw that the bird still chirped. "Alright then, let us see what you are!" She reached down to her pocket and dug up the green emerald. "Energy Drainer!"

Minh's eyes widened and felt herself change slowly into her true form. A dragon… The pink dragon pushed against Wuya's hands, but could not free herself.

"Ah, so you are that dragon of Guan's… I believe we've never met." She laughed at this and watched as little Minh's eyes began to close. "Yes… Yes… Chase Young will sure be pleased to see you."

#

The temple was still under repair. Monks escaladed the rooftop and on the walls to fix the windows that were broken. Clay searched along with the others through the vault.

Fake. Fake. Fake. Oh, and yes, fake.

"These are by far the best replicas I've ever seen," Raimundo said as he took the Sword of the Storm and tried to weild its powers. No gust of wind escaped from it. "The glow and everything was fake?"

Master Fung nodded as he took out each Shen Gon Wu and placed them in the bag. "Even the most dangerous Shen Gon Wu are missing… The Sapphire Dragon… The Crystal Glasses… The Fountain of Hui…"

The list could go on and on. Clay sighed as he dropped the Fist of Tebigong and Third Arm Sash into the bag.

"That lowlife, Hannibal Bean took ever'thing!"

"We cannot be so sure it was just Hannibal Bean," Omi said. "Only those that had ever attempted to break into the vault are Jack Spicer and his followers."

Raimundo smirked. "What followers? Even so, Spicer isn't so clever to break into the vault without us knowing it."

"Omi is right, Raimundo," Master Fung said. "Hannibal Bean could have gotten help."

"But from _Jack Spicer_? How pathetic!" Raimundo said as he put two more mystical objects into the bag.

"Nah, Rai, I reckon they gotta' point."

"Then what should we do?"

Raimundo scowled as he closed the last drawer. "I think we should pay Jack a little visit!"

Clay nodded as he made fist and pounded it against his palm. "Yeah! I can teach that lil' momma's boy a thing or two, Kung-Fu, cowboy style!"

Dojo peered into the vault as the monks walked upstairs.

"Where to?" Dojo asked.

"We're going to make a quick stop at a certain Evil Boy Genius's house…" Raimundo said.

Dojo nodded and slithered his way to the vault entrance and morphed to his giant self. The older monks overlooked from the walls and watched the three monks hop onto Dojo's back. With a quick push into the air, the giant dragon was soaring.

#

Meanwhile in Monk Guan's temple, the monks were in the kitchen preparing food and sweeping the floors. Though Monk Guan had an easy feeling about the letter, he still delivered it to Kimiko. The Dragon of Fire took it in her hands and stayed in her room. With a sigh, she tore open the letter. The chances of her father sending letters rather than emails were very unlikely. He was advised about being sent to Guan's temple… Even so, he would still email her. And how about the others? Raimundo, Clay, and Omi could have sent her a letter, but they wouldn't leave it as anonymous.

She unraveled the white paper and started to read.

_I'm sure you've been thinking a lot about my offer. It's safe to say the least that you are considering it. If you really want me to teach you, meet me in the same spot we met in the forest. If you really don't want to seem dishonorable to the others, I am sure that you will not say anything to the others. I'll see you in one day._

_Chase Young_

Kimiko sighed. There was a knock on the door and caught her off guard that she nearly screamed.

"Have you read the letter yet?" Monk Guan asked through the doors.

The Dragon of Fire took a deep breath. "Y – yes… It was a stupid prank set up by, um, Raimundo…" Kimiko opened her palm and concentrated on a small flame that appeared. She lit the paper and tossed it into the wastebasket.

"And why would he do such a thing?" his voice rang out.

Kimiko struggled to think of a perfect excuse. "I, um, I don't know… He likes to prank people."

"Alright… Lunch is in an hour."

"Yes, Master Monk Guan!" Kimiko called out. She heard his footsteps die out by the door.

The flame in the wastebasket died out. She had already made her decision before. She was going to confront Chase Young, but was she really going to allow him to teach her?

#

The self – proclaimed Evil Boy Genius walked out of the restroom as the toilet flush echoed in the basement. He shook his leg a few times to liberate the toilet paper that was stuck on heal of his black boot. As he walked toward his table to look over the blueprints of his small robots, he suddenly heard voices near the basement door.

"Darn it, Clay! You stepped on my foot again!" Raimundo whispered loudly.

"Well excuse me, partner, but yer foot was in ma' way!"

"Will you two please stop chat – chitting? It is most frustrating!" Omi whispered to the both Xiaolin Monks.

"I think you mean 'chit-chatting'." Raimundo remarked.

"Chat – chit, chit – chat! Same thing!"

"Hey!" Jack Spicer yelled. "What are you doing here?"

The three Xiaolin Monks were caught off guard and screamed when Jack caught them spying on him behind a couple of shelves. The monks' screaming made Spicer scream, and then vise – versa again.

"Alright enough of this!" Jack said. "Jackbots! Attack!" Spicer pulled up his sleeve and pushed the button.

Surrounding the monks, six of the robots emerged into the air. Jack cackled at their robot's surprise attack.

"I'd like to stay and chat, but I have evil business to attend to!"

"Wudai Neptune, Water!" Omi jumped into the air and pounced on a robot and pulled out its head, then to the next one to punch a hole straight into the metallic chest.

"Wudai Crater Earth!" Clay kicked an incoming robot. It flew out and hit the next one that came his way.

Raimundo, being a Shoku Warrior, had yet not been taught what there is to be taught. So for the attacks, Raimundo used his Wudai Warrior abilities… "Wudai Star Wind!" A large gust of wind appeared. Raimundo yelled as he kicked and punched the remaining robots. They fell to the floor instantly, leaving Jack completely defenseless. These six robots were the only ones he was able to save since Chase Young's visit.

Jack backed up and tripped over a thick wire. The Xiaolin monks approached him with their eyebrows wrinkled together, and smiles upon their faces.

"Okay, okay! Just tell me what you want but please, _don't hurt me_!"

Omi rolled his eyes and stepped forward to the evildoer. He grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him close to his face. _"Where are the Shen Gon Wu?"_

"Did you say 'let's play peek – a – boo'?" Jack said jokingly.

Raimundo pulled Omi away and took charge. He, too, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "We are not playing around, Spicer! _Where are the Shen Gon Wu?_"

Spicer screamed as Raimundo started to shake him to and fro.

Clay put his hand on Raimundo's shoulder. "Whoa, there, partner… We're here to get the Wu, not destroy Jack."

"Or…" Omi said, "We can do both…"

The three monks looked at Jack in a taunting way. Jack Spicer screamed loudly. _"What kind of sick people are you?"_

Clay laughed out loud. "Whoo – Whee! Oh, come on, Jack, we were only bluffin'!"

Jack had tears running down his cheek and began to sob. Raimundo stepped back in disgust and wiped away Jack's tears on Omi's tunic. The little monk took notice and groaned in dissatisfaction.

"Give us the Wu, Spicer!" Omi demanded.

Jack finally pointed toward the large safe and passed out cold on the floor. Clay ran over to the desk and hopped over the broken metal that was once the Jackbots.

"I think we need to start thinking of new methods…" Raimundo said and looked at the teenage Goth on the floor.

Clay pulled out a brown bag and looked inside. All of the Shen Gon Wu was there, even the Dagger of Rock and the Fan of the Winds. The two Shen Gon Wu that had were among the first in the large pile of the objects.

"Yep," Clay assured them, "That's all of 'em."

Dojo peered through Omi's sleeve and looked down at Spicer. "Wow…" He wriggled his way up the ramp to the exit of the basement. "We should probably leave now…"

Clay ran with the others through the door with the bag of Shen Gon Wu in his hand.

#

Wuya had arrived at Young's palace. Both Hannibal Roy Bean and Chase Young were in the kitchen tending to the soup. In a small flask, the Evil Lord poured in several drops of venom form the bushmaster serpent. A brown haze of smoke appeared over the large pot. The green muck had then turned to a very bright red.

Wuya knocked on the door and both evildoers turned to see her.

Hannibal Bean extended a tentacle to her and the Heilyn Witch rolled her eyes. She handed the Moby Morpher toward him.

"I thought ya' had run off with them…" Hannibal said.

"Oh, come now…" Wuya started to say. "You can't trust me?" She laughed as she walked toward Young and Hannibal. "The letter was delivered, although I'm not sure if Guan gave it to the girl."

"What do you mean?" Chase Young said.

"Guan took it. He didn't let me see Kimiko."

Chase shrugged. "I'm sure she has seen it." The Evil Lord whiffed the air and looked at Wuya. "What is that scent?"

Wuya's eyes widened and smiled. "I had a little company on my way back…"

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the little pink dragon. Chase Young's eyes widened and smiled in excitement.

"Minh… Why is she like that?"

Wuya tossed the Energy Drainer toward Chase Young. "You'll never know when these things come in handy…"

The little pink dragon began to open her eyelids. With a snap of his fingers, a strong cage emerged from the air. Wuya settled her down on the floor of the cage.

"Take her to the throne room, Wuya… Make sure my jungle cats watch her closely."

* * *

_Hey! Just a quick notice... I'll be going back to school in four weeks! I'm finally a high school senior! As excited as I am, I'll be too busy in my last weeks for summer vacation. No, it doesn't mean I won't write anymore, but it will take me a bit more time to update. Be patient, please._


	21. Through Their Eyes

I apologize in advanced for any grammatical errors... This chapter is a bit fast - paced, and may or may not be the only one I'll ever write like this... Enjoy.

* * *

Ch. 21

**Kimiko's P.O.V**

I wouldn't know if I could understand, but I did. There are times Master Monk Guan would rise from his seat beside me and then walk away impatiently, or angrily. It was probably my recklessness that had caused him to mistrust me, or the fact that Minh has been missing for two days and two nights. We had begun to meditate alone. The other monks would leave when I approached and it would sadden me. Meditation has only been my true therapy for what I must overcome, and my lessons in the morning. Training was no longer in my schedule… Just meditate, meditate, and meditate…

It has been two days since my letter arrived, and I broke my word to seek Young in the forest. It was unfair for him, but it was also unfair to everyone I had grown to care for. I contemplated these thoughts in my head for the rest of my meditating session. Master Monk Guan made a strange mumbling sound under his breath and rose from his spot. I opened one eye to see him walk away with clenched fists.

We haven't seen Minh for a while. Master Monk Guan doesn't want to speak of it, or even let me go out with the others to find her. I'm starting to worry… This was just the same situation when we lost Dojo nearly two years ago to Chase Young… _Oh no… Chase Young! _

"I have to go tell him," I said silently. No matter how quiet my whispers appeared to be, they still echoed through out the stillness of the grand meditation hall.

I got up from the floor and ran across the room to reach the hallway in which he had stepped into.

From only a few feet away, his shadow moved across the walls. I called his name in a mere whisper, but he did not respond. "Master Monk Guan?" I said aloud again, this time in a more firm and loud voice. Again, no response.

I approached quietly toward the shadow. The hallways were divided into a T. I peered into the left hallway where he stood. He let out a deep sigh and looked down. He was discouraged. His large hands were behind his back. The window there gave off a strong, illuminating light of the setting sun.

"I fear the worst for our friend," Monk Guan sadly stated. "It _is_ in her nature to wander about, but not like this…"

"Is it possible," I started to say, still thinking about my previous assumptions of Chase Young. "…that perhaps Minh is being held captive?"

"Captive? But why would someone hold Minh captive?"

_"She's a dragon…"_ I replied.

He looked away from the window and turned to see me. "Who would take Minh?" Before I could answer, his eyes widened and ran a fist against his opened palm. "That… woman! The old woman who delivered the letter for you."

I felt my heart rate increase. He mustn't know about the letter, but for Minh's sake, I must confess about Young's offer. But how exactly must I tell him of my second encounter after the previous showdown? It's too humiliating…

"Um, well, I, um…" I couldn't find the right words to say. I only kept the man waiting and this was too hard for him. Minh has been a very longtime friend of his, and I was making matters worse by pressing on suspense.

"If there is something you must say, Kimiko, then please, do so."

"Well, I…" I sighed as I looked at him in the eyes. "I think it is Chase Young that took her…"

Monk Guan scowled coldly and looked at me. I felt like running away, but surely he'd want an explanation and it was my duty to give him one… A good one… But he patted my head and asked me to follow him to the main hall. We passed every single hallway that even confuses me if I did not leave some sort of trace, or have a monk to follow to the main hallway to find my way around. We got there momentarily and he knelt down as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"The monks are out there searching for her. I cannot leave you here alone. You must come with me."

"Where are we going?" I asked in a hush tone.

He looked at me with worrisome eyes. "We will see if your hunches are true." The old monk got back to his feet and made his way toward the door.

"One question," I said hastily, "how exactly are we suppose to get there? Minh's not here."

Monk Guan smiled as he revealed the Silver Manta Ray. "I suppose this answers your question, young one… Now let us go."

I ran outside the temple gates. He moved his arm outward into the air and called the Shen Gon Wu's name. The small, silver Shen Gon Wu expanded itself to its true form. We both jumped without hesitation into the seats. As Monk Guan maneuvered the steering wheel to the direction he intended to make it go to, my thoughts were still on Chase Young. If I see him, will he say anything about my encounter, or why I haven't made my decision?

#

**Raimundo's P.O.V**

The days at the temple were slow. Dojo had been shaking all morning and sneezing small flames against his own path, or those who stood in his way. We had believed that he became sick, but he insists it's only allergies.

The sun was setting beyond the horizon. Master Fung grew out of his cold. I've been meditating with the older monks, although it was super boring. Omi still insists in making fun of my Shoku Warrior rank, although I am very sure that he is jealous of me. Clay doesn't make a sound about it, though. All he could do is laugh at Omi's dumb jokes, or my failure to meditate, or slip in Omi's ice puddle pranks.

Everything is quieter without Kimiko… Whether it's because of her long, two – hour talks on the phone, the sound of her music, or her laughter. All of this that is happening with Chase Young and her surely must have passed now. Even if we all thought of this, Master Fung still shakes his head to my pleading. I never thought I would say this, but I do miss her… Not in the weird way Dojo thinks, but I do miss her. Yes, I believe tonight my thoughts will be about her.

I was alone as I walked through the hallways. We've already eaten dinner and Clay and Omi were in Clay's room playing card games like every Saturday evening. As I walked into the hallway, I could see Kimiko's bedroom in the far end.

I stood by my bedroom as I looked on. There was a strange sensation I felt on my left leg. I yelled and prepared myself for a kick. I saw Clay laughing alongside Omi with his hand retracting back to his side.

"Oh, ho – ho! Raimundo!" Omi laughed along.

"Oh, ha – ha," I said sarcastically.

"What's the matter, partner?" Clay asked as he sat back against the wall. "Ya' look very frustrated."

_"Oh, me?"_ I said sarcastically as I fluttered my eyes opened and closed, _"Why would I be frustrated?"_

Clay gave off another laugh. "Ya' miss Kim'ko, don't ya?"

I widened my eyes and looked down at the little yellow guy and the big guy looking up at me. "Um, no, uh, why?"

"Well, I say, it is a bit obvious," Clay said.

"Oh, yes. It is most obvious. Like Clay would say, 'you are more in love than a lovebird'."

Clay sighed. "Not even close, _lil' partner_…"

_"What? I'm not in love! Who told you that?"_ I felt my cheeks redden. _"Was it Dojo?"_

Clay's eyes widened and curved a smile on his lips. "Easy, partner, I was only bluffin'…" He then laughed silently. "Why so red? Ya' look redder than steamed crab in a boilin' pot of water!"

He looked down at Omi and shook his head. "It appears you have lost it, my friend…"

Clay sighed another time. "Or maybe ya' rubbed it off on me…"

"Enough of this," I said. I was annoyed already with their pranks and now they're frustrating me even more with this talk about me liking Kimiko. I started my way toward my room, but Clay grabbed onto my leg again. I cringed and pulled away. "Dude! You gotta' stop doing that!"

The big cowboy chuckled and settled back down against the wall. "Don't be so hard on yer – self, Rai. We was only kiddin'!"

"Oh, yes, my good friend. Please, take a seat and join us for a good game of The Golden Fish."

"I think you mean _Go Fish_," I said. "And why that? I haven't played that since I was _seven_!"

Omi shuffled the cars in swift motion with his small hands as I turned to look at Clay.

"The lil' partner ne'er learned."

"But I will!" Omi said. "I will master the art of collecting the fish!"

I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms and sighed. "Dude, we don't catch fish!"

"Then what is the point of calling it _Go Fish_ if we aren't fishing?"

"This would be a lot easier to explain if Kimiko was here to help…" I said and suddenly realized I said that in a gentle tone with a smile on my face.

I turned to see Clay staring at me with wide eyes and a big smile curved on his lips. I felt the embarrassment creep up on me as my cheeks reddened.

#

**Minh's P.O.V**

Even though the cage was small, I still found it easy to move around. Every time I reached toward the lock with a sharp nail of mine, one of the jungle cats makes it his task to scare me back into the corner. I could sense all the evil that has clouded in the air of Young's palace. I remember him every time as I fall asleep as the man he once was: pure, good, honest, and kind. All that he is now is everything that is opposite of the definition of _good_.

For the past two days I tried not to let my mind wander too long. If I did, the jungle cats created their own games amongst themselves to see who can terrify me. I could try to morph into my giant self because my force can penetrate the steel, but the woman named Wuya is always around with the Energy Drainer.

She is sitting by the pool, flipping through what seems like a magazine. In these days I've been held prisoner, not once have I laid my eyes on Chase Young. He never really did approach the throne room. I could catch a whiff of his scent or the fast movement of his shadow from time to time, but he never walked in.

The woman they call Wuya came to stand and slowly walked toward me. In her hand there was a juicy green apple. I felt my mouth beginning to water as I eyed the fruit carefully. She laughed in a taunting manner, and I came to realize that all of this was a complete joke and a waste of my time.

"Are you hungry, little dragon?" she asked.

I only looked at her for a split second, and wriggled to the other side of the cage. When she turned away is when I looked back at her. She laughed as she took a knife in her hand and threw the apple in the air. With quick movement she split the apple with the knife and caught the two pieces in her tanned hands.

"Are you hungry, dragon?" she asked me again. Her voice was more stern and loud. "Answer me, or you'll get nothing."

I nodded and she snarled in discontent. "Talk, little thing… I want to hear you talk."

I sighed and looked at her in the eyes. "Yes, I am hungry. I am very hungry because I'm stuck in this tiny cage!"

Wuya laughed and handed one slice of apple to my claws and turned away. I took the piece of fruit and shoved it, seeds and all, into my large mouth and munched on it before swallowing.

"Your anger is most pleasing. Tell me, what is it that they call you?"

I wiped away the excess juice from my chin and turned to face her again. "I thought you already knew. I bet Chase Young has told you about me."

Wuya's thin eyebrow was raised and she smiled. "Smart dragon, you are, Minh… Chase Young is right about you being dangerous, which is why we must _eliminate_ you."

I felt my body shutter as she handed my the other slice of apple. Even though I was starving, I felt confused. I didn't know if I should take the apple.

She laughed. "You should know there is nothing in there. I was only kidding, Minh. Come now, laugh!"

I took one bite. And then another. And then another bite until there was nothing else to bite into. I licked away the excess apple juice that ran down my arms and turned to face her. This is the first time in my life I've ever been treated less than an equal. With all my masters, including Dashi, they've treated me like a sister, a human sister. Out of everyone here, Chase Young could be the only one to understand because he was my favorite one.

All of these thoughts saddened me. Wuya walked away from the cage and settled down again near the pool. What am I to do now?

#

**Kimiko's P.O.V**

Luckily, we were armed. Though Shen Gon Wu were useless against these greater forces of evil, I still couldn't pass the chance to bring my elemental weapons, and other Shen Gon Wu. Master Monk Guan couldn't allow me to stay outside the gates of the palace. His only choice was to let me follow him in. His only orders for me were to look for Minh while he distracts Wuya and Chase Young.

I only agreed to this, but even with this I couldn't miss out on the action. Learning from previous events, Chase Young does not always keep his cats around him… They're everywhere.

We didn't have to knock on the gates because they opened even before we jumped off the Silver Manta Ray. The Shen Gon Wu retracted to its normal size as I stood under it to catch it.

I walked behind him, hoping to not run into any of the jungle cats. Monk Guan looked around very cautiously as did I. The entrance was the usual cave – like tunnel. If the gates opened by themselves, that only means one thing: Chase Young is expecting us.

We found our way to the throne room. Right in front of us, on top of the many steps to Chase Young's throne was Wuya, surrounded by the jungle cats.

She laughed.

"Oh, look," she said, "Here are everyone's favorite heroes… A weak teenage girl and a weak monk who cannot live without his pet dragon."

"I'll show you weak!" I screeched. I prepared myself for a swift attack, but Guan stopped me before I jumped toward the Heilyn Hag that walked down the stairs.

"Minh is our friend, not a pet."

"What ever you say…" Wuya laughed. The jungle cats followed her down.

"Look for her…" he whispered to me. "Look for her and only her!"

Who else does he think I was going to find?

The sound of Hannibal Roy Bean's laughter startled me. There, by a door, he entered alongside Chase Young. They both looked toward as as we looked toward them.

"I'm really sure that you'll need me now for assistance, Master Monk Guan," I said as I clenched my fists and positioned my legs to match Guan's fighting stance.

He shook his head. "Find the dragon, Kimiko. This is your only task now."

I groaned in discontent, but I couldn't go back on my word. Master Monk Guan jumped the walls as Chase Young followed him.

"Moby Morpher!" Hannibal shouted and his horrid body transformed into that of a shrieking eagle. Wuya looked at me and laughed.

"Um," I said, "Are you sure you don't want to join them?"

Wuya shook her head. "After I'm done with you, of course."

I snarled and watched her run toward me. I jumped away from her attack and found myself balancing on top of a statue. I began to think of what I practiced before. Aim, jump, and aim again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was able to feel my energy building up within me. Harnessing my inner Chi, I yelled, "Judollete Flip!" I dismounted from the statue, feeling my body sway against the cool air and caught hold of Wuya's shoulders. With quick movement, I shoved my legs in between my arms and kicked her into the pool.

I landed on the floor and laughed at the sight of her drenched in water.

"You won't be laughing for long," she said. "Energy Drainer!"

I gasped and ran away from the yellow blaze of light that followed me around. The jungle cats were in my path the closer I got to the stairs. I jumped another time and allowed the yellow energy attack one of the cats. Looking back, I saw two of them already on the floor, fast asleep.

Wuya snarled. I looked up to see Master Monk Guan and Chase Young fighting against one another before Hannibal Bean interfered, trying to scratch him with the tough talons.

"Kimiko!" I heard someone say. I looked up and caught sight of Minh in a cage.

As I ran upward, the sound of growling behind me gave me the hint of inspiration I needed to run just a little faster. I yelled in fright as one of them caught my tunic with a sharp claw.

"Alright, I had enough of this! This is the second outfit I ruin!"

The cats looked at me and licked their mouths. "Wudai Mars, Fire!" The intense heat built up in my fingertips as I released large flames of fire through my palms. Cats ran off with their tails catching on fire. Wuya yelled as all of them ran into the pool to join her.

I felt a smile curve on my lips as I faced Minh. She instructed me to stand back from the cage. I did just that and she morphed into her giant self. The cage broke and she was free.

"Go, Kimiko!" Master Monk Guan shouted. "Go!"

Minh looked at me. "We must."

I faced the Monk. "You have to believe in me! I can't leave you here with those three and the stupid cats!"

With a hard push, Chase Young managed to make Monk Guan collapse onto the hard floor. He fell with such force that one of the white tiles had cracked. Minh gasped. "Kimiko, we must go!"

Monk Guan got back onto his feet as he approached the three evildoers.

"But I can't!" I gasped and felt the tears roll down my face as each one of them took great aim.

Chase Young looked at me with his green reptilian eyes and smiled. Wuya aimed toward Minh with the Energy Drainer again, but she morphed quickly into her small self and hid beneath the throne.

"Cat's Eye Draco," I said as I put it against my arm. With it, I called for the name of my elemental power. Flames emerged for another time from my palm. I felt so much anger that I had a need to aim towards everything that moved. Monk Guan rolled out of the way. As I clenched my fist, I watched the flames form into a giant enflamed form of mine. With exhilaration, I moved it against Wuya and then against Hannibal Bean. Chase Young was not in sight.

_"Embrace your anger,"_ I heard Chase's voice say.

I turned to see him standing beside me and then back at Monk Guan. He was passed out on the floor. I felt a need to listen to his words, but my head kept turning his commands away.

"Consider this our first lesson, Dragon of Fire," Chase said.

I dropped the fist of flames and looked at him. The waves of fire ceased. "I never said-"

He cut me off before I could say another word… "There is no need to. The desire of learning is in your eyes. Monk Guan and Fung won't do anything about it, why don't you? Accept my offer, Kimiko. I can teach you greater things."

I looked away. "I… I can't."

My eyes drifted away from his as I caught sight of Minh peering from beneath the throne.

"Yes you can…" he replied. "I'll give you three more days to think about my offer, young one." With this, he snapped his fingers and he disappeared in thin air. I looked around the throne room. Wuya, Hannibal Roy Bean, and the jungle cats were also gone.

"What is it that he said to you?" Minh said.

"You couldn't hear?" I asked as I looked down at her.

"Nothing, really. That Energy Drainer blocked my hearing for a few minutes."

I raised an eyebrow at this and couldn't tell if I should believe what she said to me. I sighed and ignored her question. "We should probably start heading back home."

We made out way downstairs to Monk Guan. Minh was in no condition to fly and Monk Guan was nowhere near good to be on her back anyway. With all my strength I dragged him toward the gates and called the name of the Silver Manta Ray. Minh hopped on and I, again, dragged Monk Guan inside. With a slight push of the wheel and a push of the button, the Silver Manta Ray took flight into the darkening sky.


	22. A Discovery

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical mistakes. The Shen Gon Wu you read here (except for the Serpent's Tail, of course) are all creations of mine... Minh is an original character. Please, enjoy..._

* * *

Ch. 22

**3****rd**** Person**

The trip back to the temple was quiet. When they arrived, monks were scattered all over the main hall. Though Monk Guan didn't have so much strength, he was still standing with the support of Kimiko. Two of the taller monks took the young girl's place. They were still silent and were careful to not look at the girl. Monk Guan was half asleep as they dragged him out.

Kimiko took notice of their eyes wandering away from her. She groaned in discontent as she looked down at Minh. She yawned and looked up at her.

"Why is it that no one will speak to me?" she whispered as all of the monks walked away.

Minh shook her head as she sighed. "It is their decision. I wouldn't know."

#

"Katnappé, Jack Spicer, and Vlad, we challenge you to a Showdown Trio!"

Raimundo made his statement loud and clear. Katnappé, Vlad and Spicer nodded in agreement. "The game is Hot Potato… Um… But with the Scale of the Serpent…"

"Hot potato? Raimundo now is no time to think of food!"

Raimundo ignored Omi's statement… "… Hot Potato with a catch! We climb the mountains and pass the scale. First team to reach the top wins. If you drop it or fail to pass it within ten seconds, your team loses."

Katnappé smiled. "That sounds like my kind of game. It's purr – fect!"

"Fine… We accept your challenge," Spicer added.

"Wait!" Clay shouted. "How are we supposed to play if they got no Shen Gon Wu to wager?"

"Easy," Vlad said in his thick accent, "we bet no Shen Gon Wu!"

Dojo scratched his chin. "Hm… A Wu – less showdown… How exciting!"

"Alright, fine…" Raimundo agreed.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

The Scale of the Serpent magically hovered over their heads and flew straight to the mountains. Both teams separated from each other as Dojo morphed into his giant self and flew straight toward the mountains to get a better view of the showdown. The Xiaolin Team was already in their uniforms, as the others remained the same. The girl with her cat costume squinted at Raimundo. The Shoku Warrior in his Shoku robes felt uneasy when she winked at him.

The mountains overhead rumbled and moved slowly upward to the stars. Yes, this Showdown will be done at night. When the movement ceased, both teams looked at each other.

"Hey…" Spicer said in a shrilled voice, "Where is the Wu? I thought that was the potato!"

Raimundo looked up and there was no sign of the Shen Gon Wu.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Clay shouted as he put his hands on his head. "Let's just start and see what happens!"

Everyone nodded and took a deep breath before shouting, "Gon Yi Tan Pai!"

There was a strange noise coming from the air. Both teams remained still and somewhat frightened by the incoming noise. As they looked up, they took notice of the scale coming straight toward them, zig – zagging in the air as if trying to make a decision to which team to go to.

"Get ready, guys!" Raimundo ordered.

"What ever you do, get out of my way," Jack ordered.

The scale finally made its decision and made its way straight to him. Both Katnappé and Vlad moved away with widened eyes as the scale zoomed straight to Spicer's face. With a hard force, the scale collided against his cheek and it sent the boy down.

"Let's start climbing the mountain!" Omi shouted. The three monks made their way through the forest, leaving the Heilyn team behind.

"Jack! Will you get up?"

The boy did not respond. Katnappé rolled her eyes and took the scale into her hands… er, paws? "Pick him up and start running! We only have a few seconds left!"

She ran with great speed as Vlad followed with the self – proclaimed Evil Boy Genius on his shoulder.

"Hot Potato!" she screamed and launched the scale into the air.

Clay turned around and yelled as he saw the scale coming straight toward his face with flames and all surrounding the edges. Clay shut his eyes and miraculously got hold of the scale.

"Hurry, partners! They're gainin' up on us!"

Katnappé was only feet away from the Xiaolin Monks. Vlad was not so far behind either. Even with Jack on his shoulder, he was still able to run quite fast.

"Hot Po – ta – toe!" Clay shouted as he flung the scale toward Vlad. This will definitely be a hard catch for him.

He gasped and threw Spicer in the air to catch the scale. Jack opened his eyes and looked at the forest floor. He screamed as he came closer and closer. He activated his Helibot and zoomed upward, passing Vlad and Katnappé.

_"Hot Potato!"_

Omi looked behind him as he caught the scale. He jumped once, twice, thrice to reach the first ledge. The boy bit hard onto the scale to get a good grip on the ledge.

"Omi! I'll tell you when to toss it!" Raimundo called from behind him as he, too climbed. He was behind Clay.

"Now!" he shouted. "Throw it now!"

Omi turned to see Spicer flying over his hear. "Hot Potato!" he shouted.

Spicer screamed as the Shen Gon Wu hit his face once again. Clay's laughter was heard as he watched Spicer tumble down the rocks. "What's wrong, Spicer? A'raid of a game of catch?"

The Xiaolin Monks laughed as they continued to escalate the mountain. They were already on their second ledge as the Heilyn Team barely started escalading.

"Darn it, Spicer!" Katnappé groaned. She took the scale from him and flung it against the current of the wind. "Hot Potato, Xiaolin Losers!"

The scale hit Raimundo right on the butt. The Shoku Warrior screamed in pain as he watched it pummel down the rocks. "Wind!" he shouted and the scale went back to him.

Katnappé took notice of the defeat they will soon face and took matters of winning into her own hands. "Get ready," she said to Spicer as she lifted him up.

"Wait… What are you doing?" Spicer asked.

She picked him up over her head and with her great strength she launched him into the air. Jack screamed and activated his Helibot and zoomed toward the second ledge.

Katnappé looked at Vlad angrily. The Russian looked at her with fear and then jumped up with great leg strength, passing the first ledge and was halfway toward the second. Katnappé jumped over and over and over and was now climbing beside Raimundo.

"Hot Potato!" he shouted and threw it straight toward the girl in the cat costume. She took it in her hand and bit into it as Omi did before.

"I never really was a cat person," Raimundo said.

Katnappé spit out the scale and passed it to Jack as she and Raimundo stayed face to face. "No one asked you, soccer boy!"

She attacked him with her fake claws, screaming _"Meow!"_ fiercely in the air. Raimundo jumped from the rock he was holding onto and made a back flip in the air, kicking her face at the same time. She hissed at him as she shook her head.

"Hot Potato!" Jack screamed as he threw it to the cowboy who was now ahead of Omi.

"Hey, a little help here!" Raimundo shouted as Vlad took hold of the Shoku Warrior's leg and Katnappé took hold of his arm.

"Wudai Crater Earth!" Clay shouted as he kicked the side of the mountain. The mountain rumbled and shook heavily. Omi gasped as he jumped forward to the next ledge, taking the scale and dropping it to the Russian guy.

"Hot Potato!"

The Scale of the Serpent fell down and down with so much force. Vlad yelled as he let go of Raimundo's leg and caught the scale in midair.

Raimundo kicked Katnappé hard on the face and she hit the rock. Her pain was taken to advantage as he climbed swiftly upward.

_"Give me that!"_ she ordered to Vlad. "I'll show lover-boy a thing or two…"

They were all on the last ledge. Only a few feet to climb were left and everyone was doing their best to keep up with each other.

Katnappé appeared beside Raimundo and hissed. "Where's Kimiko?"

Raimundo's eyes widened as he looked at the teenager. "What does that have anything to do with the showdown?"

Katnappé laughed devilishly. "Rumor has it you have a little crush on the girl…"

Raimundo looked up to see Jack laugh. "Whoa, you like Kimiko? Hot Potato!"

The Shoku Warrior groaned as he looked up at Clay. The cowboy looked down at his leader as he shrugged. "Hey, they heard me an' Omi talkin' 'bout it."

"You two talked about me?" Raimundo said in a furious state.

Katnappé laughed and kicked him, causing him to fall down three ledges.

"Hot Potato!" Omi shouted. He jumped over to the last ledge. "Wudai Neptune, Water!"

Large currents of water burst into the air, knocking over Jack Spicer. He tumbled down a few ledges, equaling the Shoku Warrior's downfall.

Katnappé jumped forward alongside Vlad. Clay tried to fend himself as Omi waited for the scale to be tossed to him. He was there on top of the mountain with his hands at the ready.

Katnappé tossed the scale toward Clay. The cowboy caught it and prepared himself to throw it straight toward Omi. Before he did so, Vlad jumped forward and kicked him in the back of the leg. One of the rules stated that if the scale is dropped, the team loses. This was one of the brightest ideas Katnappé ever had. So with this, Clay did drop the scale, and he fell back hard against the forest floor.

The scale went down fast and Katnappé yelled at Jack to not attempt to catch the scale.

A large and strong gust of wind emerged. Katnappé and Vlad shut their eyes to keep the dust away.

"Way to go, Raimundo!" Omi shouted.

The girl in the cat costume opened her eyes and only saw the Shoku Warrior flying away from them. Beneath his whole body, a small tornado had formed to help him rise in the air.

"Catch it Omi!" Raimundo shouted and tossed it lightly toward Omi.

"No!" the Heilyn team shouted.

With a grasp of the scale, the showdown was over.

#

Kimiko peered into Monk Guan's room and hesitated to say anything. Even before she could say anything, Master Monk Guan sighed and called her in. He was lying on his bed.

The only monk that was tending to his wounds took one look at her, bowed, and then walked out of the room. The Dragon of Fire stepped forward. She looked at the bruises on his face and the scratch marks on his arms. She always did hate seeing anyone of her fellow Xiaolin Warriors in these situations, but she had become accustomed to it because it happened so often.

"Are you alright?" Kimiko asked him.

He sighed. "Yes… I am okay at the moment, young dragon."

Kimiko smiled lightly. "Good."

It was an awkward silence. The silence and the stillness of the room were very overwhelming. Kimiko made a decision to make her way out of the room, but Monk Guan's voice stopped her from doing so.

"You did not obey me when I told you to leave with Minh… But I can see that your negligence is good for some things… I'd like to thank you, Kimiko, for saving me from Chase Young and the others."

Kimiko's smile grew wider as she clasped her hands with joy. "There's no need to thank me, Master Guan."

"Oh there is… Tomorrow there will be no training. You can do as you wish, but please do not go far. You have my complete trust."

Kimiko nodded and bowed to him before walking out the door. Through the hallways, the monks were nowhere to be seen. She walked slowly back to her bedroom. This will be a walk of silence. Now, that Master Monk Guan had come to trust her completely, will she take this to her advantage to visit Chase Young like she intended to before?

#

Clay slowly got up from the ground as he watched the Heilyn team leave with the help of Jack Spicer's robots. Raimundo and Omi were standing around him. With some of Omi's help, Clay was able to stand just a little bit before his knees starting to shake.

"Whoo – whee! I haven't done so much climbing since… Well, since Master Fung made us pull that boulder over the mountain!"

Raimundo looked at his friend with great concern. He put the big guy's arm over his shoulders and stood under him. "You sure you're okay to walk?"

Clay groaned. "Well, I, uh, I think I can… I've always fallen down hard from ma' horse back at the ranch."

"Yeah, well, you fell so many feet from a mountain, not a horse."

Dojo arrived in his large form and insisted for the others to climb his back.

"I don't think our friend Clay is in the right state of mind to fly, Dojo…" Omi said as he struggled to keep Clay from falling back. He pushed him upward as Raimundo struggled to keep him upright.

"Well, I can't do anything else besides fly him."

"Can't you morph into something else, Dojo?" Raimundo asked as Clay fell back on Omi.

"Please get him off of me!" he pleaded.

"Well, no, actually, I can't. I mean, I can, but I won't. The fastest way to get to the temple is by flying. I hate the dark…" He looked around with great caution.

Raimundo tossed the scale to Dojo who caught it with his large claws. With all his strength, Raimundo pulled Clay upward, causing him to stand again and then fall on top of the Shoku Warrior.

"I can always carry him in my claws…" Dojo said. He exposed the sharp claws as they glistened in the moonlight.

Omi's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Dojo…"

"Then what do we do?" Dojo asked.

"I think I have an idea…" Omi said.

In the sky, Raimundo was holding onto the rope they used to strap Clay. He was knocked out cold and snoring away. They were a few miles away from the temple since the location of the Shen Gon Wu was not so far away.

"What does the Shen Gon Wu even do?" Omi asked.

Dojo tossed the small scale back to Omi. "Beats me… Minh hid that one with Dashi… Actually, it's not even a the scale of a serpent… The scale comes from her."

Omi's eyes widened. "Then why would they name it like that?"

"I don't know…" Dojo said. His body was positioned for a landing. "This Shen Gon Wu was created long before I was even born… A couple hundred years, actually."

Raimundo looked to see the scale. It was pink, but a softer pink. Minh's scales were a soft pink, almost like a rose, but this scale was almost white.

"Does the scale change color, dojo? You know, after aging so much?"

Dojo's massive head nodded. "Actually, yes. Believe it or not, when Minh was a lot younger, she was red. It sometimes happens to dragons. I can also change color."

The large reptile landed on the ground at the courtyard of the Xiaolin Temple. The crickets chirped and the owls hooted away. Raimundo had Clay behind his back and struggled to carry him. Though the Shoku Warrior is strong, it was still hard to carry him around.

Omi helped him carry the cowboy to his room and walked back to the Shen Gon Wu vault where Master Fung waited for them.

"The Scale of the Serpent is a very interesting Shen Gon Wu. I see that Dojo has explained to you that the scale belongs to Minh, which is why we must be very cautious with its powers."

"Why? Is it dangerous, Master?" Omi asked as his eyes widened in bewilderment.

"Actually, it is somewhat dangerous. Minh is not like all dragons, which is why the name was changed to the Scale of the Serpent. The powers can be used with the Serpent's Tail, but alone can be as dangerous."

"Then what does it do?" Raimundo asked as he felt the drowsiness beginning to kick in.

"It allows the user Minh's great powers. If you did not know, she is half serpent."

Dojo crossed his little arms. "Which is what makes the scale so dangerous. The possessor of the scale – According to the Ancient Scroll, can harness Minh's powers, not to mention the powers of _snakes_…" Dojo cringed at the word _snakes_.

"You're almost a snake," Raimundo said bluntly, "Why would you be afraid of them?"

"I met Minh's father, and let's just say it was not pretty…"

"And that's what's dangerous about the scale? All you do is harness a dragon's power, big deal!"

"It is not all fun and games, Raimundo. With the right abilities, the possessor may also be able to become the Lord of the Dragon from whence the scale came from. This is why this scale must never be touched by anyone without complete experience, or the right to do so."

"You mean, if someone was to harness the complete power of the scale, that someone will be able to control Minh?"

"Precisely. We will advise Minh about the scale first thing tomorrow. That way, we will see if we can permanently destroy it."

"Why wasn't it done before?" Omi asked.

"Chase Young was too proud of his creation," Dojo said.

"Wait… Chase Young?" Raimundo and Omi said, awestruck.

"Yes… Um, I didn't mention that before?" The Xiaolin monks shook their heads. "Anyway…When the time came to hide the Shen Gon Wu, he had Minh decide whether it should be destroyed or not. I guess having it now explains her decision."

Master Fung activated the vault with the five chimes of the bells. The floor beneath him opened and revealed the staircase. He walked down silently and placed the light – pink scale into one of the drawers and locked it with a key. Unlike the others, this one was very well secured.

#

Chase Young paced back and forth. The Lao Mang Long Soup was poured into a large bowl with dragon heads encircling the edges. It was covered with a specialized lid and was still steaming.

He has been feeling uneasy for some time, now and Wuya had come to notice it only two hours earlier after the activation of the Shen Gon Wu. She smiled, mockingly, because he felt the same way she would always feel whenever one had revealed itself. He was tense. His shoulders were stiff and he never took his eyes off from the floor.

As Hannibal Roy Bean hid the bowl in a safe place in the cupboards, he groaned in annoyance at Chase Young.

"Quit pacin' yer givin' me a headache!"

"I can't help it," Chase Young snapped back. "I feel… uneasy."

Wuya chuckled as she put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Tell me, Chase, why is it that you suddenly feel an urge to look for the Shen Gon Wu that just revealed itself?"

"It is not an urge, Wuya… I just sense it."

"What is it about the Scale of the Serpent that makes you so uneasy?"

Chase Young's eyes widened. His lips curved to form a devilish smile. The more he stopped to think of the Scale of the Serpent, the wider his smile.

"It is because I am the one who created it."

Hannibal Roy Bean shook his head. "Then why didn't you go to retrieve it?"

Chase Young closed his eyes… "All in good time… It will be done once Kimiko proves her loyalty."

"And when will this test be done? We've been working long enough to make this happen."

"I can sense it… When the next Shen Gon Wu reveals itself."


	23. The True Beginning

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. _

_Please, enjoy reading._

* * *

Ch. 23

"The time has come, young monks, to select the next Shoku Warrior that will join Raimundo's side. Greater forces of evil are rising and you will learn how to harness your inner powers with greater strength, concentration, and discipline." Master Fung's words were heard very loud and clear. Omi's eyes glistened with delight as Clay tipped his hat to Master Fung as a sign of appreciation. Dojo was not so far away from the group's conversation. He was lounging above on a tree branch, reading a book. "With Kimiko gone, a second Shoku Warrior will be a great advantage against the new allies."

Raimundo's curved to form a smile and crossed his arms. At the moment, he felt special… Omi was now in a competitive state and Raimundo took this to knowledge that he'll become out of control as he had done so in the past.

"Wait a minute, Master Fung," Clay started, "But won't Kim'ko get the same chance as we do? I reckon it's a lil' unfair for Omi and I to get a better advantage."

The three monks looked up at Master Fung with wide eyes and listening ears. The old monk sighed as he looked down at each one. "It is Master Monk Guan's responsibility to determine it now. Just like I plan to teach you discipline, he will do the same…"

"Even though his teaching methods are a little… _harsh,_" added Dojo as he flipped a page from his book.

Master Fung looked away from the green dragon and continued… "If I so wish to award you the next rank, it will be your decision to make whether the rank is yours to receive it. This highly applies to Kimiko as it does to all of you."

Omi giggled at Master Fung's statement. "Oh, ho – ho, yes… Kimiko at the time does not seem worthy of receiving the title, unlike some…" With this, Omi jumped to his feet and began flexing. The large cowboy beside him placed a large hand on his head and insisted for him to sit down.

"At the moment, young monk, no one is worthy of receiving the title."

"But… But… You just said-"

Raimundo shook his head and laughed silently.

Fung sighed as he rubbed his eyes with both his thumb and index finger. He looked back down to Omi and Clay. "It is your decision whether your are ready to become Shoku."

Omi jumped up again. "Wait! Raimundo didn't have to make a decision! You just gave him the rank as Shoku Warrior!" Omi protested.

"And I accepted… Seeing that giving you the title can be dangerous for us."

_"What!"_ Omi shouted. "I am not _dangerous!_"

"Omi…" Master Fung insisted. "It was my decision. He accepted to take the rank as Shoku Warrior and your group leader…"

_"But how am I dangerous?"_

"Well," Clay started, "You do have a way of making bad decisions, partner…"

Omi groaned in discontent as he settled back into his seat. Master Fung smiled at them. However, deep down he knew that his decisions will definitely effect their teamwork.

#

Kimiko was the first to rise. It was great to be able to sleep in with no training. Minh was beside her sleeping matt snoring away. The sound of Kimiko's footsteps awakened her and she wriggled out of her small bed and onto Kimiko's matt.

The teenage girl walked out of the bathroom and was startled to see her. Kimiko was dressed in white jeans with dark leather boots, a black tank top and a white cardigan that's sides draped down loosely.

"Good morning, Minh," Kimiko said cheerfully as she looked at herself in the mirror for the third time. She ran her fingers through her hair.

"Where is it that you're going, Kimiko?" she asked.

"Since there isn't any training to be done, I thought I could go down to the village." Her response was not hesitant.

"For what, exactly?"

Kimiko sighed as she turned to see the pink dragon. "Chill out, Minh… The last time we went I saw these honey – glazed peanuts that I really wanted to try."

"Well, okay… I'll go with you." Minh's voice was stern and quite steady.

Kimiko's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? No, stay! You have to rest and nourish yourself… Besides, Monk Guan isn't looking too good and you should keep him company."

Minh crossed her tiny arms and looked at the teenager with concern. "Then perhaps I shall fetch one of the monks to go with you."

Kimiko's smile loosened and looked at the dragon with sadness. "There's no need, Minh. They don't speak to me, or look at me. Besides, Monk Guan told me he trusted me."

Kimiko's hair was tied into a side ponytail. She grabbed one of her cross body bags and walked hastily out the door. Minh could not believe Kimiko's attitude and behavior, but Dojo had warned her about it. She was not always cold, but when she was provoked, or when she needed her privacy, her anger lashes out. Minh wanted to avoid her being angry. She watched Kimiko last night with the flames and could not believe she was harnessing such power with her Wudai Warrior rank. She had seen the way Chase Young looked at her and her powers unleashing and she could only fear for the worst.

The dragon had consulted Monk Guan about this, but he had said that Kimiko is strong enough to reject anything Chase Young says or offers, otherwise why would she still be here?

Minh wriggled her way to the window and overlooked the amazing view of the mountainside. These thoughts contemplated in her mind, making her more tired than ever. It was wrong for her to mistrust Kimiko, but what is she to do?

Kimiko walked slowly through the hallways, ignoring the monks that tended to the many potted plants. She felt uneasy, seeing that the only reason she was here was to train. At the Xiaolin Temple, everyone had a job to do besides train and she had become accustomed to this. The laid – back life she is living now wasn't quite sinking in, but she did not want to ask Monk Guan for a job to do… His training was enough work for now.

He was there with the support of a wooden crutch. He stood tall, but was still in a weak state. Kimiko bowed to him and he attempted to bow to her, but stopped halfway as he felt his backache.

"There's no need," Kimiko insisted.

Monk Guan straightened himself again with the help of the same monk who tended to his wounds. "Where are you going, Kimiko?"

She was already tired of them asking the same questions, but there was no way she can lash out on her temporary master… "I was going to go to the village."

"Is Minh joining you?"

"She needs her rest."

Monk Guan scratched his chin with his free hand and looked down at her. "Would you like an escort form one of the monks?"

She shook her head as she looked at the monk who stood beside him. He looked down wearily and sadly… "Actually, they all don't seem to want my company, Master Guan. It will be best they stay here and assist you."

Master Monk Guan looked down at his assistant and realized their shameful behavior. "Alright… Oh, and can you please pick up a loaf of bread? We seemed to run out."

Kimiko nodded, remembering that she had snuck food for Minh from the kitchen so she could eat.

With Monk Guan's acceptance, Kimiko ran out the front gate and down the many stairs. As she reached the last step, she was surprised to see that she was not tired at all. All of this new found freedom has given her so much energy despite her encounter last night. With cautiousness, Kimiko looked around to make sure no one was behind her to follow.

There were two paths she could take. One path led directly to the village and the other led straight into the forest. Without hesitation, Kimiko made her way to the right path. No, not the correct path, the path to the right… It was the path that led straight into the forest.

#

"Broaden your mind."

Clay took Master Fung's idea as he closed his eyes and stretched his arms outward, one above the other exposing his large palms. Raimundo was standing many feet away. The Longhorn Taurus was cuffed onto Clay's large arms as he called its name and punched straight down into the ground.

Raimundo looked down and noticed the shaking movement of the earth and the large crack that seemed endless. It stopped right beneath him, but the rumbling never ceased. It was not long before a large spike emerged rapidly from the ground. Raimundo yelled and jumped before it struck him.

With the Crest of the Condor cuffed onto his arm, he summoned its powers and a large gust of wind made through the land. A large tornado charged straight through the thick spike and broke it as it came toward Clay. The cowboy's eyes widened and he stomped hard onto the ground exclaiming "Earth!" as loud as possible. A wall of rock appeared before him, but it was not enough to stop the tornado. The cowboy ran from it because there was nothing else he could to. The Shoku Warrior took notice of Clay's defeat and stopped the tornado, having it disappear in thin air.

Clay panted as he took his hands to his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Whoa… Partner… Gotta' watch out… for that one…"

Raimundo patted his back as he stood proudly beside him. "It's not so hard, Clay. All storms have their weaknesses."

"Yes, and her name is Kimiko," Dojo said as he laughed. This caused Omi and Clay to fall back laughing loudly.

Raimundo growled in anger as he swooped down to attack Dojo. The small dragon screamed as he wriggled his way up Master Fung's leg and into the sleeve of his tunic.

"Now, now, please," Master Fung said as he tried to maintain order. "Let us continue."

_"Oh, fine,"_ Raimundo groaned.

It was Omi's turn. "Kaijin Charm! Water!" With his first attack, Raimundo jumped straight into the air and called for his elemental powers. Again, a large gust of wind swooped right through the land and the Shoku Warrior remained balanced in the air.

A great current of water that came toward Raimundo was split into two currents as Raimundo made a fist and acted as if cutting the river into two. "Crest of the Condor! Wind!" With this, he manipulated the wind into turning both rivers against Omi.

The small monk yelled in horror as he saw his elemental powers backfiring against Raimundo. "Tsunami Strike!" Omi shouted and spun around with great agility and swiftness, making the water splash back toward the Brazilian teenager.

This was not enough to stop Raimundo, for when he called the name of his elemental power again. He summoned a tornado against Omi and created too much wind, knocking Omi on the ground. The tornado absorbed the water and then appeared above Omi in a dark cloud. With this, the cloud released all the water it had collected and landed right on Omi.

Raimundo settled back down from the air and walked toward Omi who was now drenched in water. He laughed mockingly at the boy. "Serves you right for making fun of my feelings for-"

He stopped before finishing his sentence. Clay and Omi looked at him with widened eyes as Dojo emerged his small head from Master Fung's tunic. Then all at once, loud laughter broke loose and Raimundo smacked his forehead with his palm. He groaned in embarrassment a he turned away from them. Master Fung only shook his head for their childish behavior.

#

Despite the bright sunlight, the forest was somewhat dark. Kimiko walked cautiously through the path and was startled momentarily by the sight of Chase Young. He politely bowed his upper body down as he had done so with Omi in the past. Kimiko did nothing of the sort, which only made Chase Young smile.

"It is interesting that you had taken up my offer…"

Kimiko crossed her arms and looked at the wooden rods that were on the ground before him. "I didn't exactly accept."

"Then why is it that you are here?"

Kimiko looked at him oddly. "Wait a minute… Have you been waiting for me here since last night? Believe me, I'm definitely not the kind of person who likes the whole Romeo and Juliet – thing."

Chase Young shook his head and took three steps forward. "I see beyond what you can, Kimiko. It is the reason why I know your deepest thoughts."

_"Creepy…"_ she mumbled to herself.

"Now, let us begin training."

Kimiko watched him pick up a rod and tossed it toward Kimiko. The Dragon of Fire raised an eyebrow as she caught it. With the wooden rod in her hands she positioned herself in the same way she always does with Master Monk Guan. She twirled the rod in her hands a couple of times before running toward him to strike.

Kimiko yelled her battle cry as she reached toward him and positioned the rod out in front of her, planted into the ground and maneuvered her body to strike Young from the back. Chase Young moved away and hit the wooden rod with his, causing horrible balance. Kimiko fell on the ground, but quickly got up again.

"Impressive," Chase Young said as he positioned himself. He extended a leg outward as he bent his right knee almost close to the ground. His left fist was extended toward the extended leg and the other was a few inches beside his head. With this, Young took his middle finder and index finger and flicked them up and down.

"Oh, I'll bring it, alright," Kimiko said as she dropped the rod. Her decision of attacking with no weapons pleased Chase Young and he, too, dropped his rod. The teenager ran toward him and shouted, "Monkey Strike!" It was a move she doesn't always perform in a fight, but she did anyway. She knew what was to come after this, so she positioned her whole body in the air as she jumped. Chase Young took her hands and shouted: "Repulse the Monkey!"

Kimiko felt her whole body being thrown into the air, but that did not cause her to lose her balance. Sure enough, the Dragon of Fire landed on a tree branch with one foot. Her balance was impressive and Chase Young came to notice that training with Monk Guan has been doing her good.

And this private training session occurred every day for five days. Master Monk Guan's wounds healed slowly and could not help her train. She refused to work with the other monks, seeing that none of them wanted anything to do with her. Kimiko took their ignorance as a way to seek help from others, even if it meant to seek it from the wrong side. For the first two days she felt wrong having to train with the man that insisted. At the end of the day when she would walk the one thousand steps of Shame at Monk Guan's palace she felt worse and worse. By the third day these steps really didn't mean nothing to her. She felt greater and stronger as time passed.

Minh was informed about the scale and could not retrieve it until some time when Monk Guan could get better. She still had her suspicions of Kimiko especially when she came back home tired and with a scent she had never sensed before.

This is exactly what she had wished for… A new and improved way to show everyone what she was capable of. Chase Young was correct. Monk Guan will not teach her how to harness her powers that she had done so in the showdown that took place in the village. Was it for fear? And if it was it pleased Kimiko either way. She felt all too powerful, though Chase Young was still stronger than her.

The next day she found Chase Young with no wooden rods. This new change caught Kimiko off guard. Unlike the first day, Kimiko wore her Xiaolin robes and carried no Shen Gon Wu with her.

Chase Young eyed the girl with great caution. Even if he was stronger than her, she was learning from him and Monk Guan.

"Kimiko," he said sternly, "What better way to teach your friends your new skills than by accompanying them on their next quest?"

"What do you mean?"

"According to the old monk, the time has come to choose the next Shoku Warrior."

Kimiko gasped and wrinkled her eyebrows together. "Monk Guan never told me anything about this… Hmph! They were just going to leave on the sidelines like that while everyone else advances!"

Chase Young placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down into her blue eyes. "Show the others what you are made of. It is only a matter of time when the next Shen Gon Wu reveals itself. Make sure you are there. This will be one of your greatest tests."

With this, Kimiko and Chase Young bowed to each other and he disappeared with a snap of his fingers. Kimiko smiled and made her way to the paths.

* * *

_Okay, prepare yourselves for what is about to come. Just to give you an idea, let me just say that friendships will be tested and trusts will be broken._


	24. A Rumble

_I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors._

**_NOTE._**

_I really do love your compliments. Thank you so much for continuing to read and for all those compliments. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. I will say it is a little fast - paced, and hopefully it is not too confusing. As soon as I finish writing the whole story, I will go back and edit everything when I get the chance. Anyway, I hope you love reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. So sit back, relax, and read on..._

_- Cassandra (AnonymousDarkWriter)_

* * *

Ch. 24

Guan was hobbling down the steps as Kimiko escaladed them. He was no longer using the crutch for support. The scratch marks on his arms were disappearing and were leaving behind small scars. Guan looked down to see her and she bowed before him, hoping he wouldn't ask her about where she was.

"Kimiko, I thought you were visiting a friend in the village."

Kimiko's eyes widened as she looked at him. She placed her hand behind her back and nervously laughed. "Yeah, well, you see about that… I, uh, I went and she wasn't there."

Monk Guan quirked up an eyebrow. "Well, Minh has gone to search for you in the village."

"Well she should know better than that… It's dangerous."

He crossed his arms. "Yes, and you should also know that it is dangerous without having a guide."

The Dragon of Fire had no need to argue, or at least didn't exactly want to. The training sessions with Chase Young must be kept a secret. He sighed as he looked over the girl and caught sight of the pink dragon wriggling up the stairs.

"Minh!" Kimiko happily exclaimed.

The little dragon was tired enough from flying back and forth. Although in her large size flying to the village only took two minutes, she was still very tired from sleeping in late. Kimiko jumped down once, twice, and thrice to get near the small reptile. She took her into her arms and then ran back upstairs.

"My, you sure are in a great mood, Kimiko!" the little dragon said.

Kimiko only laughed. "Well, I've been thinking that Master Fung's decision to send me here is not at all that bad."

Monk Guan's eyes widened. "Why? Did you think it was a bad idea in the first place?"

The girl smiled nervously as she put the dragon down. "Heehee, no…"

The monk sighed as he rolled his eyes. He knew he was always tough on his students as well as the older monks, but that is just how he taught discipline to everyone else.

"Come, Kimiko, I must speak with you."

The monks and the little dragon stepped inside the temple. The monks were gone, but the place was very clean. Kimiko was amazed by how clear her reflection was on the floors. Monk Guan was standing in the middle of the main hall and called Kimiko forward. The little dragon never left. She moved to the side and sat down on the rim of one of the pots.

Kimiko's heart pounded. For a moment she began to think that Minh was following her into the forest and caught sight of her training with Young. But her worries settled aside as he turned to face her and had a softer expression than that of his usual ones.

"Master Fung has come to a decision to start choosing the next Shoku Warrior. Since you are not there with the others, he has given me the responsibility to determine whether you are ready, or not. Of course, I determine it, but you choose whether you truly are ready or not. With this being done, I will test your skills."

Kimiko's pink lips curved to form a smile. Chase Young was definitely right about Master Fung, but he never mentioned Monk Guan's decisions. Perhaps he did not know…

"When will these skills be tested, Master Monk Guan?"

"At any time. I can be testing you right now and you wouldn't know…" The Dragon of Fire felt uneasy as Monk Guan laughed and winked at her. "I was only kidding."

Minh jumped from the rim of the pot and felt her body shiver. With this she began to shake uncontrollably. Her claws became numb and her eyes started to glow. "Oh, not again!"

Guan and Kimiko turned to see the little dragon flat on the floor. There was no more movement besides her tail slowly tapping the floor.

"Minh, what's the matter?"

"I'm sensing a Shen Gon Wu! Oh, gosh! I've never felt such a tremendous force! Not even since the Scale revealed itself…" She hopped back upward and slowly wriggled toward Monk Guan's leg before bending over in shivers. The glowing ceased and her breathing began to quicken. "I think… I think this is the Golden Saucer."

Kimiko puckered her lips as she crossed her arms. "Okay, who comes up with these names?"

Monk Guan picked the little dragon up. "Why is this one so important?"

Minh sighed as she clung onto his arm. "I… I don't really remember… I think it had something to do with the Scale!"

The Wudai Warrior remembered what Chase Young had told her before. She took a deep breath before blurting out, "Can we go look for it?"

Minh and Guan looked down to see her.

"I mean, yeah, that's exactly what I said. Can we go look for it? Maybe if Minh flies and finds it, she can fetch the Scale and then she'll be fine, right?"

Minh shrugged and looked at the urge in Kimiko's eyes. She realized she really wanted to see her friends. She sighed and looked at Guan. "Yes, I think it is best to retrieve the scale now before anything happens."

Master Monk Guan sighed as he nodded in agreement. "And you are certain you can sense the Wu?"

Minh nodded. "Well, I haven't searched for these since the day we hid them, but I am certain I know where it is."

#

Dojo was in the air. Master Monk Guan was sitting on his head as the other monks sat on his back. The old monk had accompanied them now because it will be the best way to see their true strengths together and by themselves. Omi was constantly rambling about his strengths as Master Fung ignored them. Surely, boasting will not get him the higher rank. Clay was the only one who remained silent. But there was this urge Master Fung sensed from Clay. Perhaps he remained silent in order to impress the older monk. If he kept quiet unlike Omi, then he will see how right he is to advance.

Raimundo was annoyed by the little monk's constant rambling of how better he is than everyone else. This truly did anger Raimundo the way it always had, especially when he didn't advance to the Apprentice Level.

"Oh, yes! And prepare yourself, Raimundo because I will challenge you as soon as I advance to Shoku Warrior."

Raimundo groaned as he hid his face in his hands.

"Master Fung," Clay said, "What exactly does the Golden Saucer do?"

The old monk opened the Ancient Scroll and read the paragraph beside it as the pictures magically moved to the sound of his words, demonstrating the Wu's powers. "The Golden Saucer allows the possessor the ability to fly alongside the dragon. With the Scale of the Serpent, the Golden Saucer works as the true master of the dragon."

"Or in this case, Minh," Raimundo said as he looked up and moved away from Omi.

The little monk was now flexing and demonstrating Tai Chi moves that he has learned long before the arrival of the other three monks.

"I guess with this new info, we got no other choice than to bag this Wu. Can't ya' go a lil' faster there, buddy?"

Dojo moved his massive head with Mater Fung sitting on top of it. He looked at the monks and sighed. "I'm going as fast as I can!" The dragon suddenly shuttered and stiffened his body straight across the sky. The monks clung onto him with all their strengths in their hands and thighs. The power of gravity caused their bodies to tilt back only slightly. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I can sense it!"

Dojo moved downward with quick motion, almost coming too close to the ground. The monks screamed in terror, as Master Fung remained silent and still. Dojo ceased his downfall, causing the Xiaolin Monks to hit their chins against the hard plating of his scales.

Dojo laughed. "I hope you all learned something."

Raimundo rubbed his chin. "Ow, dude… That was not cool."

Omi also rubbed his chin as he sprung onto his feet. "Dojo, is that the Golden Saucer?"

Dojo turned his head and caught sight of the golden plate that shimmered against the sunlight near the entrance of a cave. He prepared himself for a landing, getting closer and closer to the ground. The monks jumped off Dojo, including Master Fung just in case Dojo attempted his trick again.

Master Fung stayed behind as Raimundo and the others walked forward.

"As your Shoku Warrior, I think it is my duty to get the saucer."

"I don't think so, partner. I don't remember the last time I ever got the chance to get it."

"Do not fear, my friends, I will get the Golden Saucer!"

The three monks made their way quickly across the forest grounds and pushed each other along the way. Master Fung smacked his forehead with his palm as he shook his head. They were not getting along, just like Master Fung thought so. This would be their biggest challenge yet. They must not get greed in their way of pursuing the Shoku rank.

"Moby Morpher!" The loud voice of Hannibal Roy Bean rang out in the air as his massive body made its way between the saucer and the monks.

"Hannibal Roy Bean! Prepare yourself for a humiliating – Ahhh!"

A large jungle cat attacked the small monk and continued to pounce onto him as the other monks remained still. More cats arrived and Clay and Raimundo prepared themselves.

Wuya appeared by the mountainside, holding onto the golden disk. "I guess we win this one easily." She jumped down and joined Hannibal Bean's side. Wuya looked over the monks to see Master Fung standing. "And you. Aren't you going to join in?"

Master Fung closed his eyes. "This is not my battle."

The Heilyn Witch pursed her lips together to the side and rolled her eyes. "He talks just like Dashi…"

The golden disk was sent flying into the air. Raimundo had kicked it out of her hand from behind her. Clay took his part by fighting against Hannibal. Omi was busy with the other cats.

"Where is Chase Young?" Raimundo asked. "Did he finally give you permission to come out and play?"

Wuya groaned. "I don't seek his permission for anything!" She struck a kick against him and the teenager went flying across the sky. He hit a tree, but got back onto his feet.

There was a sudden stillness in the air that made everyone feel uneasy. The fighting stopped momentarily until a loud yelling came from the trees. The monks could not believe their eyes to see Kimiko jumping toward them, kicking away two jungle cats along the way.

She landed gracefully on the ground in a crouching position.

"Howdy, Kim'ko!" Clay said.

"Hey, Kim!" Raimundo called as he got a funny look from Dojo.

"Kimiko!" Omi yelled. The Dragon of Fire gasped as she straightened herself up. The little monk ran up to her and hugged Kimiko tightly. "Oh, Kimiko! It is so good to see you!"

The teenage girl struggled to get him away. "O…Omi… I c-can't b-breathe!"

The little monk loosened his hug as he stepped away from her. He smiled shyly at her as she returned the hug.

"Enough of this love – fest!" Wuya declared. "I have no time for this and neither do they…" She snapped her fingers as the jungle cats emerged toward them.

"Dragon X Kumei Formation!" Omi shouted.

At once, every single Xiaolin Monk positioned themselves to their original spot. Raimundo and Clay were on either side of Kimiko and Omi. The Dragon of Fire and the Dragon of Water prepared themselves in between the Dragon of the Wind and Earth.

Each one harnessed their Elemental powers…

_"Wind!"_

_"Earth!"_

_"Fire!"_

_"Water!"_

Omi flung Kimiko into the air. With a leg straight in the air and clenched fists, Kimiko attacked Wuya head on. Omi jumped behind her trying to fight off the many cats that had jumped toward them.

Raimundo took part in the action by jumping toward Hannibal Roy Bean and repeatedly kicking him. Clay helped Omi defeat the jungle cats.

Minh and Dojo greeted each other with hugs and handshakes. "Dojo, I must get to the disc before Wuya and Hannibal Bean do!"

Both dragons tried their best to wriggle their way toward the Golden Saucer, but it was unreachable. Every time they crawled into the scene of action, the jungle cats threw them back.

Master Monk Guan and Master Fung informed them that the monks will get it and that they must not interfere with their fight.

Raimundo Pedrosa ran toward the Golden Saucer and gripped the gold plate. Before he knew it, Wuya kicked it away. "We can't have that, can we?"

Raimundo groaned as he turned around and attempted to attack the Heilyn Witch, but was pushed away by Hannibal Bean. The large creature took the disk in his tentacles and laughed loudly. Kimiko attacked him from behind. The Golden Saucer flew into the air and hit Clay in the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. He quickly got up from the ground and retrieved the disk.

"This is hectic!" Minh exclaimed.

The jungle cats jumped on Clay as he threw the Shen Gon Wu in the air. Omi caught it between his feet as he made a back flip in the air.

Hannibal Bean charged toward the Dragon of Fire. "Ring of the Nine Dragons!" And many of him appeared, surrounding the teenage girl.

"I know what you've been up to kid," he said in a taunting matter. "I wonder if the others know, too."

Kimiko snarled as she harnessed her Chi. "Wudai Mars, Fire!" A large ball of flames made its way toward Hannibal, but this ball was only brought back toward her as he bumped it with his belly. Kimiko gasped and closed her eyes before murmuring, "Wudai Fire Absorption!" The large ball of energy disappeared in a split second the minute it came into contact with the girl's palms. As soon as Hannibal Bean turned away from her, she exclaimed the name of her elemental powers and the blaze of fire struck toward him. He was thrown into the air with the new explosions, but the fire did not seem to make any damage.

Master Fung's eyes widened as he saw Kimiko do this. "I've never seen her do that before. Did you teach her?"

Monk Guan shook his head as he smiled. "I believe this was something she had come to learn on her own. You see…" Monk Guan spoke to him of the Showdown between Kimiko and Wuya for the Energy Drainer. Master Fung's sighed in discontent.

"This could be most dangerous if these powers become out of control."

"They seem to be in control to me," Dojo said as he wriggled his way up Master Fung's shoulder.

"Yes, but remember what happened when she unleashed all her powers? The fire risked the lives of many. It is dangerous, Dojo." Minh's words ranged in Master Fung's ears.

To Monk Guan, it was strange that Kimiko had come to learn these techniques. He has only seen her absorb her powers before, but she released the flames in a full explosion, causing great impact and damage. This new control over these powers had become suspicious. He has not taught her how to embrace it because she was still not ready to do so. It was strange that she had come this far.

He watched her run toward the disk as Wuya, Hannibal, and the monks did as well. With their hands on the Shen Gon Wu, it glowed immensely.

"Wuya and Hannibal Roy Bean, we challenge you to an Eight Way Xiaolin Showdown!" Omi shouted.

"Fine."

"It's four against two," Raimundo said. "Two of us will have to bail."

"That won't be a problem," Wuya said. She turned to look at two jungle cats. Two of them had morphed to their warrior state. One was a Samurai Warrior and the other was a female Zulu Warrior.

Both came forward to Wuya and Hannibal's side.

"And we only fight with two Shen Gon Wu to make it even. Our Energy Drainer and the Moby Morpher against your Star Hanabi and the Traveler's Globe!" Wuya made her words loud and clear.

Kimiko put out the Star Hanabi as Clay brought out the Traveler's Globe.

"The game is Xiaolin – King Fu Brawl. First one to fall from the ledge is out of the game."

"First to fall from the ledge loses? Oh, how original…" Wuya said sarcastically.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

With the acceptances made, the terrain had spread. There were no trees around and the earth beneath the contestants had begun to shake. The earth around them cracked into a giant circle and then rose high into the sky. The Xiaolin Monks yelled at the change of height and pressure. The Heilyn side yawned at this, but it was only to show power.

Monk Guan and Master Fung had also risen with the other jungle cats. They were not so far from the others, but far enough to keep away from possible collisions.

Not much change in the environment had come their way, but the change of heights was surely enough to intimidate the Xiaolin Monks.

"Gon Yi Tan Pai!"

Wuya saved the emerald jewel in her pocket as she commanded the two Fallen Warriors to attack first. Hannibal Roy Bean laughed as he morphed into a giant lizard, attacking Raimundo first and then Clay. Kimiko and Omi were fighting the warriors as Wuya watched on the sidelines. Master Fung and Master Monk Guan remained quiet as Minh and Dojo cheered the monks on.

The Brawl had undergone the first minute and already the Zulu Warrior had taken her part in hitting Omi with great strength. The small monk was close to falling over the edge, but Kimiko gripped onto his hand.

"I got you, Omi!" she shouted and pulled him back into the ring.

The small monk had remembered that Master Fung was here to test their abilities. Omi pushed Kimiko aside as she tumbled to the ground, closest to the Samurai Warrior. "Thank you, Kimiko, for your assistance, but I believe I do not need it."

Kimiko rubbed her hip as she felt a cramp creeping up on her. "Yea, well, you're welcome…"

The Samurai Warrior attacked her with a spear. The Dragon of Fire gasped as she kicked the spear away and then jumped to her feet.

Raimundo's anger was getting the best of him as he fought head to head Hannibal Roy Bean. Clay helped Kimiko and advised her to fight Wuya, since he still followed his only rule to not ever hit girls.

"You're nothing, Raimundo, and you know it. Even if you lead yer friends, Omi will still over power you."

Raimundo felt Kimiko bump into him.

"Oh, sorry Rai!" she gasped.

He pushed her away as Hannibal Bean advanced toward them. "Get away, Kimiko and leave me alone!"

Kimiko groaned in anger as she watched him attack Hannibal Roy Bean. This was the second time Kimiko had been pushed away from a friend and it was definitely getting annoying. She took notice of Master Fung eyeing everyone's abilities and thought this was the reason to their behavior. Either way, this was no excuse to push her away.

Clay accidentally kicked Kimiko against Wuya. The Heilyn Witch and the Dragon of Fire landed several feet away and closer to the edge.

The Dragon of Earth did not apologize, for he was too busy with the Samurai Warrior, hoping he would make an impression. Omi did the same as he struggled to push Clay away and fight both Fallen Warriors.

"Look at them, Kimiko," Wuya said as she stood. "They're being consumed by their own greed to advance and they're pushing you away. Friends should never do such a thing." Kimiko struck Wuya several times but she blocked each one and kicked her against the edge. "Kimiko," she insisted for her words to be heard. "This is ridiculous. You know better than this. They are not your friends!"

"They're better friends than you could ever be to me!"

With anger running into her body, she attacked another time and succeeded to push Wuya over the edge.

"Ring of the Nine Dragons!"

And Hannibal Roy Bean had another part of him take Wuya's place to attack Kimiko, but his ring was knocked out of his tentacle and the second Hannibal disappeared.

"Traveler's Globe!" Clay shouted as he rolled toward the Samurai warrior. He was large and the shape of a giant sphere. The power was uncontrollable and he knocked Kimiko over the ledge. With quick motion, she managed to hold onto the edge.

"This is not cool! Clay! Help me!"

The Dragon of Earth looked at her as he transformed back to his normal self. Then, he turned to look at Master Fung who was not looking at him with a blank expression. With this, he remembered why Master Fung had come with them and he ignored Kimiko's pleading.

She groaned and called for Omi. He, too, ignored her as Raimundo came toward her. Hannibal Roy Bean stopped him by saying; "It would be a shame if someone else won the showdown and not you."

Raimundo turned away from Kimiko as he ran toward Hannibal Bean once again.

"We are supposed to be working as a team!" Kimiko exclaimed.

Clay Bailey groaned as he looked at her. "Kimiko, 'nough of yer yappin'!"

Omi turned to see her, too. "Yes, Kimiko. We have our own goals to approach and you are making this harder for us."

Kimiko gasped to see them both acting like this toward her. With no hesitation, she let go of the ledge and fell down fast against the ground. Wuya was nowhere to be seen and Kimiko landed on both feet. She looked way up high and took notice that none of the masters were looking down. She dropped the Star Hanabi on the ground as tears built up in her eyes. In anger, she said, "This is what happen whenever I come out and do something for those who call themselves my friends. And for what! To be shunned like all the other times."

She looked back up one last time and stormed away, heading deeper into the woods.

#

The Xiaolin Showdown ended with the Heilyn Side standing as victors. They laughed loudly as they disappeared into the forest, holding onto the Shen Gon Wu that will add onto their collection.

Raimundo, Clay and Omi stood saddened and defeated.

"Um, guys…" Minh started. "Where's Kimiko?"

The Xiaolin Monks looked at each other and realized their ignorant actions against their friend. They sighed.

"Your intentions to gain my satisfaction had been unwise. Kimiko must have ran off."

"We must find her," Monk Guan said. "If anything is to happen to her."

Minh transformed into her giant reptilian self as Dojo did the same. "We will search the forest grounds. She could not have gotten far," Dojo said.

#

An angered Kimiko walked through the darkness of the forest. She had used the Silver Manta Ray to escape the area and to seek serenity elsewhere, away from the others. She knew that by this time they have gone off to search for her. If she is to return now, Monk Guan or Master Fung will punish her.

Kimiko took sight of the interesting glowing of reptilian eyes looking at her from afar. She did not flinch.

"Why is it that every time I feel like this, you seem to be the only one that can help."

Chase Young walked toward her. His facial expression was softer and he seemed to be more compassionate. He placed his large hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Perhaps because I felt the same way you did long ago… And look at me now."

Kimiko sighed as she looked away from him. "They fought me for their own greed."

"Kimiko… I've warned you before that these friends of yours are not your friends at all."

She clenched her fists and wiped away her tears. "I realize that now. They expect me to trust them when they can't do the same for me!"

Chase Young took a deep breath and turned away from her. "Perhaps I can help."

"In what way?"

Chase Young turned to see her again. In his hands, he had the warm pot of Lao Mang Long Soup. Kimiko's eyes widened.

"Not like this…" she said in a mere whisper.

He placed the pot in her small hands and then knelt down before her. "I've taught you so many things in the past few days. I've learned so much from you as you have from me. You don't want to continue this way. You have enough power to show the others what you're capable of. What is it that you fear?"

Kimiko shook her head. "I fear nothing."

Chase Young smiled devilishly at her as he urged her to open the pot. "Then drink it and join me."

Kimiko opened the pot and looked at her reflection. For a minute, she looked back into the past and recollected all the memories of how her friends treated her before… They underestimated her because of strengths and her gender. Everything Chase Young offered her came with a price. But today the monks had pushed her away when she tried to help them. With everything Chase Young offered her, it all came with a price. They were the ones to pay the price.

Kimiko closed her eyes tightly and placed her pink lips onto the rim of the pot and tipped back her head, letting the strange – tasting soup flow into her mouth and run down her cheeks. Chase Young could only smile at the girl's decision.


	25. New Alliances Pt 2

_Please excuse any grammatical errors!_

_NOTE._

_I had enough time to write this chapter and I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your kind reviews and compliments. The action is a little fast - paced, but I assure you that the events are more unexpected than the next. _

* * *

Ch. 25

"Kimiko! Kimiko!" Omi's shouts echoed across the plains. He was alone, here, and the other monks had gone to search elsewhere. Minh was hidden in his tunic and she emerged to help him search.

"Oh, she's not here either…" Minh said in a sigh. "It isn't safe for her to venture out like that, especially without telling us where she has gone."

The little monk looked down to the earth and kicked away a small rock. Minh saw the distress in the monk's eyes as she jumped out of his tunic and wrapped her small body on Omi's arm. "Don't fret, little one. We'll find her."

Omi shook his head. "Yes, but I am ashamed of my actions. She called for my help and I didn't listen. I was much more worried about what Master Fung would think about my fighting skills rather than her safety."

"You were not the only one who did just that, Omi. The others did the same. When we all find opportunities, we all get consumed by our own greed. I've done so many times in my life. Perhaps Kimiko may understand."

The little dragon jumped off from Omi's arm and slithered away from him. In a split second, Minh morphed into the giant reptile that she was. "Come, now, Omi. Let us find the others and head back to the Xiaolin Temple. Perhaps she had already arrived."

The Dragon of Water hopped onto her back and she flew off into the darkening sky.

#

The Dragon of Earth was by himself here. The only source of protection he had was the Shen Gon Wu he had never come to use, the Dagger of Rock. The complete knowledge of its powers was never explained exactly, but the word "rock" in its title certainly hinted that it had to do with Clay's elemental powers. Clay searched the lowest parts of the forest. Deep down the cowboy had come to think that he and his fellow monks were all searching in the most obvious places, that perhaps they were too obvious for her to hide at.

Like Omi, Clay felt the same shame he had. He knows what he did wrong. He yelled at her and now she's gone.

"Kimiko! Kim'ko, if yer listenin' I truly am sorry!"

But his words only flowed on and on with the wind, never to reach the ear he was hoping would listen. In his mind, this was probably the worst thing he has ever done. The last time he has ever spoken to anyone like that was probably before his little sister Jessie went off with the Black Vipers. And even when he encountered her a few years ago he didn't speak to her like that. Kimiko definitely did not deserve his rude actions.

Up above, Minh's large body took Clay by surprise.

"Any luck, Clay?" her voice rang out. It was deeper than usual.

"None, but I'll keep searchin'! Go on to look fer Raimundo!"

Minh agreed and flew away.

Clay sighed as he made his way toward the mountain. It was steep and very muddy. The cowboy mumbled certain words under his breath as he cleared away some of the mud, getting his usual light – blue shirt dirty.

"Darn, this is gonna' be tougher than I thought!"

He took one quick look down to his hand. The dagger seemed to glow and Clay gripped it tightly. "Look's like it's time to see what ya' do… Dagger of Rock!"

He pushed the rock straight into the mud and felt the hard earth resist his strength. In a matter of seconds, the mud moved away and the hard rock and earth of the mountain cracked. Clay flinched, but did not let go of the Shen Gon Wu. He closed his eyes and hoped a mudslide, or an avalanche would occur.

But nothing happened.

The cowboy looked up to see the mud cleared away. The cracks of the earth had formed into a large staircase. He smiled and pulled out the dagger. "This is neat!"

#

The Dragon of Wind was soaring in the air with the help of his elemental powers. A couple of times he felt as if he was falling down to the ground because his concentration was more on Kimiko. He called her name and there was no response at all. The Brazilian teenager descended from the ground and began to look around. He was the one who had chosen to search in the same forest where Kimiko was last seen. She was nowhere to be found. The hope within him had dimmed into nothing more than a small candlelight.

"This is all my fault," he said. "I should have taken charge as Shoku Leader and united all of us. Instead, I let Omi and Clay yell at her… Not to mention push her away."

Raimundo felt heartbroken. He resented the fact that he had also done Kimiko the same damage as the others had.

He had searched through the treetops and on the ground multiple times for those full two hours. Though he was tired, he was not willing to give up. But now, it was all over because he felt more defeated than he did in the Xiaolin Showdown.

Minh appeared overhead and told him to quit. The Dragon of Wind almost refused, but found himself weak from the constant searching. He climbed on the dragon's back and they flew back to find Clay.

#

An echo of groans and screams flowed through the air. The Evil Lord stood beside her weakened body with his hands behind her back.

"This transition is very time consuming, but be brave, Kimiko."

The pot was only inches away from her hands. Chase Young knelt beside her and brushed away the girl's bangs. It was a confusing feeling he had for her because the additional ingredient (the venom of the bushmaster) could be very deadly. Kimiko stayed silent for a while as she looked into his green eyes. Chase Young turned away from her and was able to hear how clear her heavy breathing had begun.

"Yes… Yes, this is it," he said.

Kimiko once again curled into a ball and shrieked in pain. She closed her eyes and tears ran down. In a split second, the pain stopped. After all this she felt no different than before. The world still looked the same before her eyes.

Chase Young extended a hand out to the girl and she accepted it. When she got back up to her feet, she did not let go of his hand. The strength of her grip was extraordinary.

"Yes," she said suddenly. Her facial expression was cold and stern. It was almost as if it was emotionless. "Yes, I accept your offer."

He laughed. Her hand was still in his as he pulled her closer and looked into her eyes. "You've already accepted my offer."

Kimiko looked down to look at the pot. She opened her mouth in astonishment, but then softened her expression. "And what happens now?"

She loosened her grip as he loosened his. He walked behind her and revealed the green haze he had done so in the past. "Take a quick look into your future, young Kimiko. Beside me, you will be known through out the lands and then the world."

Kimiko smiled devilishly as she looked at the images in front of her. There she was in the black robes beside Chase Young, Wuya, and Hannibal Roy Bean. She watched as she fought Omi, and then Raimundo, and then Clay until finally there was no one else to fight. The images only brought true satisfaction, something she has not felt.

"Your powers can be harnessed with nothing more than fear and anger. If you truly concentrate on your form, you can also change forms."

"I will not be one of your cats."

Chase Young laughed lowly into her ear. "No, Kimiko… This form will be your new form. It all comes from the Lao Mang Long Soup."

Kimiko didn't care how strange her new form would be. All she thought about were the people she had once cared for and then come to hate after they mistreated her.

"What is it that you want me to do."

Chase Young walked in front of her as the green haze disappeared. He took her opened hand and placed both the Ying Yo-Yo and Yang Yo-Yo in her palm. "You saw what it was you are destined to do. You know exactly what must be done."

#

There was stillness in the air. No one had looked at each other for the past two hours. Monk Guan had the monks at his temple search high and low near the villages and forests but none of them had come to find the Dragon of Fire.

The Xiaolin Monks arrived later on to reveal the same disappointing news. A draft crept into the meditation hall and it made both masters and the monks uneasy.

"I have a strange feeling that something bad will happen."

Monk Guan's words were heard throughout the building. It was not just him who had felt the same. Every single monk felt the same way, including Raimundo, Clay, and Omi.

Dojo and Minh began sniffing the air with closed eyes.

"Do you smell that?" Minh asked as she crawled away from him and toward the window.

"It smells like… like…"

"Kimiko!" Minh exclaimed as she caught sight of her dark figure near the entrance of the Xiaolin Temple.

The monks ran outside of the hall and found her many feet away near the entrance. She was quiet and standing very still. The others called her name.

"Kimiko!" Omi shouted as he made his way toward her, but Monk Guan stepped forward to stop him from moving any closer.

"What are you doing, Master Monk Guan?"

"Something is not right here."

"That's ridiculous," Raimundo said. "It's just Kimiko." He waved his hands in the air as he called her name. "Kimiko! Are you okay?"

There was no answer.

The silence was very strange behavior. The others looked at her with confused expressions imprinted on their faces. Only Master Fung, Monk Guan, and the other older monks had now sensed a greater darkness than the day Wuya was released from her box.

Omi along with the others attempted to run toward her and stopped midway.

"Kim'ko?" Clay asked.

"Are you okay?" Raimundo asked.

"Kimiko, my friend, please!"

The teenage girl emerged from the shadows with closed eyes. When she had come to open them, the blue color was no longer there. An intense red color glowed as she stared at each and every one of them.

"Whoa, Kim, what happened to you?"

The Dragon of Fire yelled out in the air as every lantern in the courtyard turned on and then exploded. Flames of fire encircled the temple but seemed to make no harm.

She walked forward slowly as the others backed away. Her first target was the little monk standing in front of the others.

With a strange force, she extended her arms out into the air and the others flew against the walls of the temple.

She set her red eyes toward Omi and he cringed in fear. "You expected me to trust you when you couldn't do the same. Arrgh!" With a yell she ran her arm into the air and a fireball escaped her palm. Omi gasped and blocked it away with water. "I came to help you when you needed it and all you did was push me away!" Again, she moved her arm outwards and she struck him with a ball of fire.

This Omi could not block and he fell back several feet away from her.

"Kimiko, this is not who you are!" Raimundo protested.

"Correction, Rai… This has always been who I am."

With all her strength, a large river of fire escaped her fingertips and attacked the Shoku Warrior.

"Wind!"

The fire drew back toward her and all she did was reabsorb the energy and blast it back toward him. In an explosion, Raimundo was sent flying into the air hitting Master Monk Guan.

Clay attempted to fight Kimiko without causing much harm, but the fate was all the same.

Omi attacked her from behind as the other monks tried to put the fire away. Raimundo and Clay got up and joined Omi.

"Kimiko," Omi said, "We do not know what happened to you when you were gone, but we plead you! Stop what you are doing. We are friends."

Kimiko laughed as she looked into the little monk's eyes. "Did you really think we were friends, Omi? You pushed me away just like the others because of that same greed. And you, Clay, did the same…" She laughed as she continued to look at the large cowboy. "I'm impressed, though… I never thought you had it in you to shout at me like that."

"Kimiko," Raimundo insisted.

"Enough! Enough, enough, enough! I'm ending all of this tonight whether you fight me like you've done so in the past as friends, or now as enemies."

"But we are not your enemies!" Raimundo protested.

Kimiko laughed as she jumped into the air. "Fire!" She shouted. She landed right back down and large streams of fire flowed through her palms when she touched the ground. The Xiaolin Monks yelled as they tried their best to defend themselves with their elemental powers.

Omi's water attacks were useless. For whenever he conjured a large ball of liquid, it only sizzled up into steam. Raimundo only caused more damage, blowing the flames to various places. Clay's wall of rock only melted with the intense heat.

"This is not possible!" Raimundo said. Before he could say anything else, he was kicked away by Kimiko. Clay was also kicked away from the ring of fire.

Omi was left defenseless against the Dragon of Fire.

"Kimiko, please! This is not you."

Kimiko only shook her head as she smiled. "You don't know me at all, Omi. You don't understand anyone."

Omi's nine rings glowed immensely as he prepared himself to fight. "I'm afraid that I have no other choice than to fight you."

"Monkey Strike!" Kimiko shouted as she ran toward the monk. Omi gripped onto her arms as she flipped toward him. "Repulse the Monkey!" Kimiko groaned as she harnessed her inner Chi. She laughed mockingly as she took grip of his wrists. With this turn of events, Omi gasped as she shouted, "Repulse – Repulse the Monkey!"

Omi was thrown over the ring of fire and hit the wall hard.

There, the girl they once knew as their best ally was standing victorious with red eyes and a broken smile.

From behind her, jungle cats emerged. Then, Chase Young's voice rang out in the air and everyone fell silent.

Master Monk Guan and Master Fung looked toward Kimiko and had come to realize Chase Young's intentions were made a reality. Their student was standing there with rage flowing through her body.

"Well done, Kimiko… Well done." Chase Young approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Raimundo snarled and jumped to his feet, but Clay pulled him back.

"Let go of her!" he yelled.

"Easy, partner, we dunno' what we're dealin' with!"

Chase Young laughed as Hannibal Roy Bean and Wuya approached their new ally.

"What did you do to her?" Monk Guan interfered.

Chase Young laughed as he tossed a white object into the air. It landed there in front of everyone to see. The empty pot where the Lao Mang Long Soup once was startled everyone.

"That's right," Chase Young said. "Kimiko had made a fine decision to join the Heilyn Side for all eternity."

"You did say this will always be her decision, right?" Monk Guan said to Master Fung.

"Yes, Guan, but I certainly didn't mean it like this."

#

Chase Young took notice of Raimundo's anger whenever he stepped closer to Kimiko. He took this to his advantage as he lowered himself to level his lips to Kimiko's ear. He whispered, "You know what to do," as Raimundo snarled in anger.

He laughed at his foolish behavior. Raimundo had come to reach like this all for a girl he had pushed away in the first place.

Kimiko petted two of the jungle cats and ran toward the Shen Gon Wu vault. The four Xiaolin Monks followed, as the other stayed put, readying themselves for a battle.

"Stall them as I go in the vault to retrieve the Defense Warrior."

Kimiko ran as fast as she could as the cats morphed themselves to the Fallen Warriors. They were the same ones from the previous showdown: the Zulu Warrior and the Samurai Warrior.

Clay and Omi stayed behind to fight just as Kimiko intended it to be. Raimundo followed her into the vault.

Inside, the Dragon of Fire watched him enter.

"Kimiko, I am sorry for what I've done. We never thought you'd – you'd…"

"You never thought I'd make this decision just because you pushed me away? I've gone through this treatment from all of you long enough. I am tired of it!"

Raimundo approached her, but Kimiko only pushed him away as she yelled the name of the Shen Gon Wu she clenched into her palm. "Ying – Yang Yo-Yo!"

Raimundo yelled as he fell directly into the strange 2-Dimentional tunnel. He disappeared and Kimiko only laughed at the matter. With extreme strength, Kimiko pushed down the stairs of the vault and it opened for her. She ran inside and retrieved the Defense Warrior.

Kimiko smiled to see the drawer labeled _Scale of the Serpent_. The Dragon of Fire kicked the drawer with great strength and it cracked open. She took the light pink scale into her hands and hid it within her tunic. With this, she jumped back up and ran outside the vault to see the Fallen Warriors waiting for her by the door. Behind them, Omi and Clay were knocked out flat on the ground defeated.


	26. The Ying-Yang World

_Please excuse any grammatical mistakes._

_**NOTE.**_

_I really do hope you love this chapter. Thank you so much for your kind reviews. _

* * *

Ch. 26

Chase young had his hands together behind his back as he walked through the courtyard. His cats stood fiercely over the monks. Guan and Fung were several feet apart and flat on the ground. The Evil Lord laughed as he saw his former friend trying to crawl away from Hannibal Roy Bean. The creature laughed as he jumped onto the man's back, stopping him with his weight.

Wuya had her arms crossed. She threatened Master Fung time and time again with the Energy Drainer.

Kimiko was seen emerge in the light. Her flames had died out and seemed to have not so much damage to the temple except for several trees and bushes. In her hand, she had the Defense Warrior and the Scale of the Serpent. She saw Young's eyes widen with excitement as she approached him.

"Well done, Dragon of Fire." He took the light-pink scale into his hands and just held it… He observed the color, the shine, and the weight. Oh, yes, he remembered this one. Though Dashi had told him not to create it, he had gone behind his back to do so. All of these memories came back to him as if it was only yesterday…

_[Thoughts – A few years before Wuya had come along…]_

_Grand Master Dashi walked away from Chase Young. Here, his eyes were darker and kinder. The Good Chase Young watched him leave with Dojo by his side. The small reptile giggled as Dashi spoke to him silently. Minh tugged onto his pant leg. Young looked down to the bright pink dragon._

_"What's wrong, Minh?"_

_"You and Dashi were discussing the Wu again, weren't you?"_

_Chase Young sighed. "Well I have a point, don't I? They tried taking you away to use you for evil. The best we could do to stop that from happening is to create something that is linked to you."_

_"You're my master, Chase Young and I respect you, but sometimes your ideas can lead us to trouble."_

_The young man sighed as he took the small dragon into his hands. "My decisions have gotten us into trouble before, Minh, but we cannot have anything else happen to you. You are my friend and I care a great deal for you."_

_The small dragon sighed. She turned her head to look back at her tail. She closed her eyes and reached for a loose scale. When she yanked it, she gave a little yelp. In a sigh, she placed the scale onto Young's palm. He looked at it in surprise. The scale was roughly small, only slightly bigger than Minh's pinky. She touched it and the scale seemed to grow. It was the size of his hand now and quite heavy. _

_"Take it. But Dashi is the one who has enough power to manipulate it."_

_Chase Young gripped it tightly. "Yes, but I also have the power to do it."_

_"Your magic is not strong enough, Chase."_

_He sighed. "Then I'll combine my powers with Dashi's…"_

_[End of thoughts]_

Chase Young snapped back into reality and looked at Kimiko. She looked at him with confusion. The Evil Lord placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let us leave…"

Kimiko turned to see the others on the ground. For a what ever reason, the Dragon of Fire felt vulnerable. She looked down at the Ying – Yang Yo-Yo's and sighed.

"What is troubling you?" Chase Young asked as they walked through the gates of the temple. The jungle cats followed.

"Nothing," she said sternly. "I did what you asked and I even sent the Shoku Warrior to the Ying-Yang World…"

The Evil Lord smiled devilishly. His eyes glistened in the moonlight as he turned down to see Kimiko. "You mean their leader is out of the way?" His laugh echoed in the forest.

Wuya gasped. "You mean the monks are now more vulnerable than ever? How delicious…"

Hannibal Roy Bean laughed. The Ying-Ying bird squawked as it flew overhead.

"Will he stay there forever?" Kimiko asked. She did not seem concerned, but she urged to hear an answer.

"That is for you to decide." Chase Young's words seemed to cause something. Kimiko's eyes no longer glowed red, but were now in the normal state.

She paused before saying anything else. She stopped walking in the middle of the path, and Chase Young and the others did not stop for her. The other two jungle cats; however, that had helped her only half an hour ago stopped and purred, pressing her to go on.

Kimiko looked down to see them. She has never really been fond of jungle cats and she wasn't going to start now. But she petted their backs anyway. One look behind her gave the former Xiaolin girl the full view of the temple. She scowled. The teenager walked forward with the cats on either side.

#

Omi jumped to his feet. The large cowboy was already standing, rubbing the back of his neck. Both Xiaolin Monks groaned in pain and dissatisfaction. Omi swallowed his pride. Kimiko beat him… A girl. This would have devastated him, but not tonight. Tonight it was not about his defeat, but about Kimiko. She had given up on herself and the result was the soup and a change of sides.

"What just happen?" Clay asked as he looked around the darkening temple.

"I believe Kimiko has now joined the side of evil." Omi's voice was low. He looked around, hoping he would catch sight of the girl. "I cannot believe Chase Young persuaded her to join him."

"The only difference is that she drank the soup."

Omi knew that.

His thoughts on Kimiko ceased and quickly turned to Raimundo's safety. Though Raimundo had become strong for the last couple of months, he was still not strong enough to defeat her.

"Where is Raimundo?" he asked.

Clay sighed and shook his head, trying to make sense of what had happened. "I dunno', but he did follow the lil' lady into the vault."

The two monks ran toward the building and did not see anything else but a remaining shadow. It was a shadow of a human and was similar to the one of Master Fung when he was trapped in the Ying-Yang World.

"I think Kim'ko definitely got Rai back… There's no way we could get 'im back now if they got the yo-yo's."

Omi scratched his head. "It is our duty to get them back, Clay. We must find Master Guan and Master Fung. Perhaps they can help us…"

#

It was a strange place…. The sky was dark with white lines switching in all other directions. Dark clouds floated around, but then disappeared. Raimundo found himself on the floor. For a while he sat there and then felt the floor beneath him feel lighter and lighter, until there was nothing else. When he looked down, the Brazilian boy was startled to see that there were dark, puffy clouds floating around them. His eyes drifted toward the sky and the floor tiles hovered together above him.

Raimundo felt his body drop hundreds of feet. He landed on his back on the floors again. "Whoa," he began to say. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is too freaky." And he got to his feet in hopes the sky and the floor won't switch on him again.

He sighed and looked around. What else was there to look at? The illusions around him only made him feel more confused about his situation and what has been done to Kimiko. The teenage boy's thoughts were on the girl, but he had to figure out a way to escape this world.

Where should he start walking? There was nowhere else to go. Even though he was here, this is the land of nowhere. So techinically, here was indeed nowhere.

"Man, I better get out of here…" Raimundo's hands were on his hips as he searched throughout the place. "How am I supposed to leave? Where am I supposed to even go?"

He watched as the clouds around him disappeared and reappeared, changing themselves to solid staircases. To test them, he placed one foot on the edge of a step and pushed his weight against it. Nothing happened. There was some movement, but he was used to it. After all, he was the Dragon of the Wind. So he started to walk upward. One step. Two steps. Three steps… until there were no more steps to walk on.

"Oh, now what!" he exclaimed in frustration. His words echoed in this part of the Ying-Yang World.

He was standing on the last step with no other place to step onto. Raimundo sighed as he took his palm to his forehead, trying to focus on a way to- And that's just it… Focus on a way to, what? He couldn't just take a phone and call the temple… He couldn't shout for help because there was no one to ask help to.

The steps below him started to rumble. He gasped and looked down to see how strangely they warped and come back all the same again. There was a low growling sound that made his heart sink. Nonetheless, there was nothing else he could be aware of except for the light breeze, the floating staircase, himself…and the weird growling sounds.

"Is there anyone in here?" His voice echoed on, but there was no other answer.

The growling continued.

"Alright… Either there really is someone here, or I'm just losing my mind." He took a deep breath as he jumped into the air before exclaiming, "Wind!"

He took notice that there was an excessive amount of dust flowing all in one direction, but something invisible, yet solid, had come to appear with the dust. Raimundo gasped as a dark form began to reveal itself. The Shoku warrior gasped at the sight of the Chi Creature.

#

Many of the monks had gathered themselves to clear away the burnt shrubbery and chop down the dried trees. They worked in silence. Other monks had made themselves useful by mending each other's wounds as well as the other masters'. Clay and Omi spoke with Minh and Dojo about their plans to raid Chase Young's lair.

"It's risky, I'll tell you that…" Minh looked at Omi and Clay with worried eyes. "The Witch has the energy drainer and she'll most likely point it to me or Dojo."

"Yes, but-" the small monk was caught off guard.

"And not to mention they took the Scale of the Serpent," Dojo added.

Minh's eyes widened as she took Dojo by the shoulders. "_He. Took. It! _B-but that's impossible! It's too risky."

"Well which is it?" Omi said in frustration as he pulled down the skin on his cheekbones. _"Risky, or too risky?"_

"Easy, lil' partner… The lil' gal's gotta' point. If they really got the scale as soon as we get there we'll be done fer."

"What exactly is it that Chase Young had the scale do?" Dojo asked.

"Years back, way before Hannibal Roy Bean offered him the Lao Mang Long Soup and the witch came along, I was taken from Dashi and the others. This villain had forced me to do awful things. I resisted his orders, but he threatened to hurt everyone else… The Golden Disk and the Scale of the Serpent are the keys to my loyalty to a master. The power of the Scale allows the holder to tell me what to do. The Disk only serves as the throne of my Lord.

Chase Young created it, but not for his own benefit… As soon as the scale was created he was scolded by Dashi and was ordered to bury it somewhere safe." The little pink dragon smiled lightly. "It was then a few days before a new threat had come upon us, I'm guessing it was Wuya, that Dashi ordered me to hide the Wu elsewhere."

Clay and Omi fell silent at her story. They could see the good in Chase Young way before he chose to be evil…

#

_[Chase Young's Thoughts…]_

_Grand Master Dashi was fast asleep. Dojo was in the far end of the room snoring away. Even for a mystical creature, the little green dragon was not always so aware of things. Minh pointed toward Dashi as Chase nodded. In his hand was the Sphere of Yun. The Shen Gon Wu glowed immensely in the darkness, but it was not bright enough to lighten Dashi's senses. The tired warrior squirmed in his bed a couple of times before settling down to another position._

_"Sphere of Yun…" Chase Young whispered and a large see-through ball trapped Dashi in his bed. Chase Young smiled, but looked worried as he looked out the window. "We don't have much time, Minh…" _

_The little dragon dug into his pocket and brought out the heavy scale. Chase Young took it into his hands and settled the little dragon on the floor, close to Dojo. She kept a close eye on the dragon, hoping he wouldn't wake up to what was yet to happen._

_The Sphere of Yun allowed the possessor the victim's possessions. Chase Young took this knowledge to power as he closed his eyes and harnessed his inner Chi. With Dashi's combined Xiaolin Magic, the young man was able to manipulate the power of the scale. In moments, the glowing of the scale had come to shine brightly and then stopped. He smiled as he took the scale into his pocket. He turned to see Minh's eyes glow and then stop. _

_Minh felt a strange connection to Chase Young, but it was nothing more than the connection of a Master and his companion. When Chase Young asked her if she was fine, all she could say was, "We must seal the connection."_

_The young man looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

_"Take a random object from the temple and create a sister-Shen Gon Wu for the scale. Seal the connection, Chase, from master to companion and vise-versa."_

_Chase Young looked into the little dragon's eyes. He stepped outside the door for only a few seconds and returned with Dashi's golden gong that he kept in the main hall. Using the same magic as before, he closed his eyes and had come to create the Golden Saucer. With Chase Young's touch, he summoned its powers and it retracted to a smaller plate of gold with the engraving of a dragon's head. Minh sighed as she felt exhaustion. _

_"Are you okay, my friend?"_

_The little dragon jumped onto his hand and wrapped herself around his arm. "Yes."_

_The young man recalled the Sphere of Yun and quickly ran out of Dashi's room. In his hands were the newest creations to the Shen Gon Wu collection. _

_With the magical objects, Minh was bound to serve Chase Young. They already were connected as friends, allies, and now through a binding of magic. Dashi's powers had allowed him to connect himself with Minh. In a way, even without the Wu, Chase Young could still be her true master…_

_[End of thoughts]_

The Evil Lord gasped as he opened his eyes. He was levitating beside his throne. The concentration ended and he put a leg out forward, breaking the levitation spell. Chase Young walked forward and took one good look around the palace. Wuya and Hannibal Bean were not in the throne room and Kimiko was just feet away from him. She was meditating beside the two jungle cats that had now grown attached to her.

He rubbed his chin as he turned around to face his throne. The Golden Saucer and the Scale were perched there. He took one good look at both Shen Gon Wu and smiled. "You've been bound to me all along, my friend… But even so we cannot always be too careful…" He took the scale and the saucer into his hands and tossed them into the air, causing them to levitate in the air before him.

Kimiko opened an eye and watched as Chase Young took a seat on his throne. She quickly closed her eye and turned herself around with the newfound Heilyn Magic she had come to possess with the Lao Mang Long Soup. She felt his eyes on her and it made her feel uneasy. Although her new powers were almost as strong has his, she still had a profound fear for him.

Chase Young looked at her only momentarily and then focused on the floating objects in front of him. His mind was on the dragon. "I've always been Minh's master…" He chuckled lightly as he looked away.

#

Raimundo yelled as he was stricken another time by the Creature's claws. He had fallen from the steps and was now battling the monster several feet away from it. The black Chi Creature gave off a terrifying shriek, which only caused the Shoku Warrior more fear.

"May I remind you we've defeated you once?"

As if to reply, the creature shrieked on.

"Oh yeah…. _We_… Well, I'm still strong enough to do it myself!" The teenager pushed the creature's head away as it wriggled its tongue toward his ear. He felt the strange wet, thing near his neck and he cringed in disgust. "Ew, gross!"

He kicked the Creature away and started to make way toward the staircases again, but they disappeared into dust and then emerged back into the sky as clouds again.

"Wind!" he yelled and a gust of air made its way toward the creature, but it was not enough to blow him away or stop him in its tracks. The golden ring around its head jingled about and glowed in a strange form.

Raimundo took a good look at the crown and ran toward him with swift motion. As he jumped forward, Raimundo took hold of the crown and made flipped his whole body over his back.

"Got it!"

The Chi Creature shrieked as he grabbed onto its head and looked at the Shoku Warrior. Then, it did what was most unexpected.

It made a strange choking sound before grumbling out several words… "You seek answers." The voice was gruff and deep.

Raimundo's eyes widened in surprise and fear. "Whoa, dude, you can talk!"

"Only at the moment 'till you return what belongs to me. Tell me what you look for and I will assist."

The Shoku Warrior looked at the Chi Creature and then at the crown. "I'll give it back to you once you tell me if you… If you have Kimiko Tohomiko's Chi…"

The shelves of the Chi bottles appeared from all around Raimundo. He looked at all directions in amazement and could not tell where to search first.

The Chi Creature disappeared and then reappeared momentarily. "Her bottle is here, but it is empty."

"What do you mean?"

"Both good and bad Chi is not in the bottle. She has taken the Lao Mang Long Soup. She carries both Chi within her and there is nothing you can do. The Evil had overcome the Good."

Raimundo gasped as he shook his head. "You are the Chi Creature… If I let you loose into my world, will you be able to suck out her Chi and then restore the Good."

The Chi Creature laughed gruffly and looked down at the boy. "It does not work that way. Your friend has to overcome evil and good to balance both sides. If she has decided to be evil, then you cannot interfere with the decision."

"But she is not evil! She only did it for revenge!"

"If it has happened it is because it was meant to."

Raimundo sighed. There was nothing more he could ask the Creature about Kimiko. He looked up to see its dark eyes. "Besides using the Ying Yo-Yo and Yang Yo-Yo, how can I leave this world?"

The Chi Creature looked at the boy. "There is no other way to leave. If no one comes for you, then you'll be stuck in here forever."

Raimundo sighed as he looked at the jeweled crown. The Chi Creature bowed its head to the boy. Before Raimundo placed it on its head, it lowly said, "Our encounter does not make us friends. I have neither friends nor enemies. As soon as it goes back to place, my abilities to speak will be gone and my search for your Chi will continue."

Raimundo nodded as he placed the crown back onto the Creatures head. The crown glowed and Raimundo took this time to run away anywhere else besides there. Behind him, he could hear the Creature's shrieking echo in the vast emptiness that is the Ying-Yang World.

* * *

_I hope you liked what you read! I'll give you a little "sneak-peak" on what is yet to come..._

_Confrontations. More Ying-Yang World adventures. Dangerous encounters with a certain dragon. More confrontations with Omi. _


	27. A Dragon Named Minh

_Please excuse any grammatical errors..._

_I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as I enjoyed to write it. It's a little fast paced, and kind of short, but the action is all there. Enjoy your reading!_

* * *

Ch. 27

Clay and Omi walked hastily from side to side. The tunnels were dark and there was not much light. The two Xiaolin Monks had woken at the crack of dawn and were now creeping around Chase Young's lair. Dojo had come along with them, but was too afraid to interfere in their plans. He was hidden within Clay's hat.

"Ya' reckon we'll be able to find 'em?" Clay asked in a mere whisper. "Kim'ko had 'em last time…"

"It doesn't matter who has them now as long as we can find them and escape." Even if Omi whispered, his voice echoed silently through the hallways.

"In case ya' didn't know, lil' partner, that ain't gonna' be so easy."

As they approached closer and closer toward the gate, Omi felt uneasy. The nine rings on his forehead began to glow immensely as he closed his eyes. "Shh, quiet Clay… Someone is near…"

A large hand was placed on both monks' shoulders. This startled them and caused them to scream in terror, but soon realized it was the hands of Master Monk Guan.

"Master Monk Guan! Have you lost your head?" Omi whispered furiously.

The older monk quirked his left eyebrow up in confusion and turned to see Clay who was smiling and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I reckon the lil' partner means 'lost yer mind'."

Master Fung appeared from behind the large warrior and looked down at his small student. "Omi, it was very unwise for both of you to come and fight alone." The little monk looked down in shame. "We know your hearts were in the right place; however, it is dangerous now that Kimiko has joined the side of evil."

"So we have come to join you."

Clay raised a finger as he looked at them both. "Where's the lil' gal?" Both monks stayed silent, looking at the cowboy in confusion. "Err, I meant the lil' dragon Minh."

Their expressions softened and looked directly at Clay. "She stayed at the temple for the time being. She is meant to guard the Shen Gon Wu until we get back."

There was a slight rumble on the floors and the walls that caused all the monks great amounts of worry. The gates opened. Kimiko's silhouette was behind the opened gates along with the many glowing eyes of jungle cats. The light had become brighter and the monks were standing face – to – face with the girl who had betrayed them. She smiled devilishly at her former companions and taunted them with the sight of the Ying Yo-Yo and Yang Yo-Yo.

As she dangled the Shen Gon Wu in front of them, she laughed. "Came looking for these?"

"Kimiko… You are our friend…"

"I'm no friend of yours, Omi."

The small monk looked angrily at the girl as he sighed. "Then forgive us for what we must do."

The cats growled and ran toward the four monks for an attack. Kimiko stayed behind, watching the large jungle cats evolving to their Fallen Warrior state. The sight of the human warriors gave Master Fung and Master Monk Guan large amounts of concern. Fung was not as young as he used to be, but he could still fight with all his strength.

"Omi, you and Clay go on to retrieve the Shen Gon Wu. Master Monk Guan and I will stay here and keep the cats company." The little monk and the cowboy looked at each other with worried eyes. _"Now!"_ And with Master Fung's final command, the monks ran toward the girl.

Kimiko gasped, but was not afraid. She smiled on… The Dragon of Fire was not at all happy about what is yet to come, but her smile only signified strength against her new enemies. The monks as they ran toward her, they caught a glimpse of the robes she was wearing. No, she was no longer wearing the red robes. These were a darker color, perhaps black… It was a color they knew their Kimiko would never wear completely. Alas, this was not their Kimiko.

"Prepare yer-self, lil' partner!" Clay hollered. "Wudai Crater Earth!" The Dragon of Earth stomped hard against the floors of the palace and caused a large rack on the surface, causing Kimiko to fall flat. She turned to see that her foot had gotten caught on the crack. She watched the yo-yo's roll away from her grasp.

She growled in anger as she looked at the approaching monks. With no way of standing, she only stared at Omi who was coming toward her fast.

Kimiko's eyes began to glow bright red. She knew that the Lao Mang Long soup gave her Heilyn Magic and she took this to her advantage. She screamed in the air as she forced a fist down onto the floor. This caused the whole surface to rumble and Omi ran back, hiding behind Clay.

"Claaayy! This is your element!"

The large cowboy looked up to see a large wall of earth coming toward him. Clay yelled as he extended his leg and summoned his inner Chi. With great power, the Dragon of Earth punched the wall, causing it to crumble.

Kimiko pulled her foot out of the crack and ran toward the Shen Gon Wu, tucking them into her black tunic. Behind her, Clay's hand trembled. They were bright red and his eyes were beginning to water.

"Clay, are you alright, my friend?" Omi asked.

Clay turned to see him and forced a smile to curve on his lips. With his trembling hand, he felt his hand crack and hurt more as he raised a thumb. "I'm… fine… lil' partner…"

"Good. Now let us follow her!" Omi ran forward and Kimiko took notice. "Wudai Neptune, Water!" From the large waterfall that was in the middle of the entrance of the palace, a large ribbon of water emerged. Kimiko gasped at the sight, but did not fear it.

She closed her eyes and summoned her inner Chi. "Fire!" Large currents of flames appeared before her fingertips and focused them toward the currents of water. There, the fire combated the water, causing the fire to die out. She gasped and could not believe the great strengths of Omi. "Nice move, _cheese ball_, but it's not enough to stop me."

_"Hey, I'm not a cheese – snack! I'm Omi!"_

Kimiko laughed as she looked at the little monk. "You bet you're Omi… Don't underestimate me!"

The fire grew again and the water had evaporated with the intense heat before encircling Kimiko. She laughed again and felt victorious. There, only a couple of feet from the Xiaolin Monks, Chase Young, Wuya, and Hannibal Roy Bean emerged from the mist of the evaporated water.

Omi gasped to see Chase Young.

"Hello, little one," Chase said smoothly as he cracked a smile.

#

Raimundo woke up beside the containment where they had found Hannibal Roy Bean previously. This was one of the only places here that the Chi Creature did not dare enter. The Shoku Warrior entered the opened gates of the containment and started to look around. All of this commotion was making him hungry. But even if he was hungry, he could not find any food in the Ying-Yang World. The more he observed the containment, the more he began to question how Chase Young trapped the evildoer here many years ago without the yo-yo's.

"If Chase Young trapped him here without the Shen Gon Wu, then maybe there's a way for me to leave." Raimundo started to look around and even sat down on the throne for a couple of minutes before standing again. There was nothing abnormal in the containment… Then again, he _was_ inside the Ying-Yang World.

#

Omi was battling Chase Young and Kimiko while Clay took care of Wuya and Hannibal Roy Bean. Though Clay vowed time and time again that he would never fight a girl, no matter how evil, today there was no exception.

Chase Young watched as Kimiko struck the little monk once, twice, and thrice. And all those times Omi fell flat on his back. "How does it feel, Omi," Chase Young started to say, "to be defeated by one of your closest friends?"

Omi ignored his question, but did feel the rage build up inside him when he jumped back to his feet. Kimiko's eyes were no longer red, but were in the serene and calm blue color. "Finish him off!" Chase Young shouted. Kimiko looked at her former friend. His right eye was swollen as well as his cheek. He was tired and Kimiko took notice of his horrible state.

For some reason, she felt somewhat bad for him. Her eyebrows curved as her facial expression became softer and softer. But then she shook her head and looked down at the small monk with evil in her eyes. "I've defeated him once and I'll do so again, but some other time."

Chase Young's eyes widened as he looked down to see Kimiko. He glared at her. "You will follow my orders!"

Kimiko shook her head. "I have done so time and time again." She looked up to see Master Fung and Master Monk Guan help Clay defeat Wuya and Hannibal Bean. "You gave me the right to decide whether the other one stays in the Ying-Yang world forever, well, I made my decision…" Kimiko handed the Ying Yo-Yo to the little monk.

Omi looked at her with confusion. Chase Young only continued to glare at the teenage girl.

Omi bowed before Kimiko and ran toward Clay. He summoned the name of the Shen Gon Wu. The 2-Dimentional portal appeared and every single Xiaolin Monk jumped inside as Clay reached into his tunic to summon the powers of the Reversing Mirror. All of the monks took hold of his shoulder as they disappeared. The portal closed and they were gone.

Chase Young snarled and looked at Kimiko. "You fool!"

"Don't even try to get started with me, Chase Young!" Kimiko said. "You don't realize how great your opportunity is right now."

"What is she talking about?" Wuya said as she stepped forward.

"You want Minh back by your side. What better time to seize the opportunity to do so than when they are preoccupied with finding the Shoku Warrior?"

Chase Young's expression softened as he looked down to his new ally. He smiled devilishly. "Hm… I have underestimated you, Kimiko…"

Kimiko rolled her eyes, and had thought about snapping back at Chase Young for doing so, but she kept her mouth shut.

"We must go to the Xiaolin Temple at once." The three evildoers started to walk toward the front gate, but Kimiko stayed behind. Chase Young turned to see her and groaned. "Aren't you coming? After all, it was your idea."

Kimiko sighed as she looked at him. She shook her head. "No. Go on without me. I need to think things through."

Wuya scowled at her last sentence. Hannibal Roy Bean looked at Kimiko with confusion. It was as if she was having second thoughts about joining the Heilyn Side… _But that's impossible,_ he began to think. _She drank the Lao Mang Long Soup! No one ever doubts his or her place after drinking it. _Chase Young took a deep breath and said nothing more as the three evildoers advanced toward the gate.

#

Clay, Omi, Master Fung, and Master Monk Guan landed in the parallel universe. When the little monk questioned the cowboy about the Reversing Mirror, Clay's response was very unexpected.

"I dunno' how it got in ma' tunic. I realized it when we was fightin' against Kim'ko…"

"That is very strange..." Master Fung said as he rubbed his beard.

"The fact that a Shen Gon Wu appeared in ma' tunic?"

"That, and _that_." Master Fung pointed toward a strange glow that appeared from a distance.

Omi was drawn to it more than the others because he has never really seen such an amazing light show. It was almost like a combination of fireworks and the Northern Lights. The little monk started to make his way towards the lights, but Master Monk Guan took hold of the little monk's tunic and pulled him back.

"Careful, little one. We do not know what that is."

Omi looked up to face the elder monks who started to lead the younger ones. Omi looked away from Monk Guan and turned to see Clay who only shrugged and followed Master Fung.

Master Fung had grown to sense the Chi Creature lurking by, but they have not been attacked. Dojo emerged from Clay's hat and smelled the air.

"It's around, alright, I can sense it!"

"It's a pleasure for ye to finally join us, Dojo!" Clay said.

The little dragon sighed. "Hey, you know I'm not all great with hand-to-hand combat. I don't have hands or legs!" He demonstrated by jumping onto Clay's large hands and picking up his tail. "See?"

"But you can shape shift to a larger dragon. And you have claws." Omi happily added as he looked up to see the green dragon. "Lazy lizard…" he mumbled.

"Hey, I heard that!" Dojo exclaimed before being hushed by Monk Guan.

"Look!"

The monks looked up to see Raimundo hastily walking around and around the containment.

"Oh no… It appears we have lost our friend to the Chi Creature!" Omi exclaimed.

Raimundo looked up to see that the others had come for him and he jumped in joy. He quickly ran toward the group and hugged each and every one. "Oh, boy, am I glad to see you."

"What were you doin' in there?" Clay asked.

"I was kinda' looking for a way out of this place."

Every single one of them looked at Raimundo with skeptical expressions. "Raimundo my friend, are you sure that you didn't noggin your bump?"

"I reckon the little feller means 'bump yer noggin'."

"No, man, you have to listen to me! How in the world did Chase Young trap Hannibal Roy Bean in here in the first place without the yo-yo's?"

The little green dragon, the three monks and even the elder monk all faced Monk Guan. His eyes widened as he took notice of the others' interest in the past. He only shrugged.

"See? If he was able to send the Bean-Dude in here without the Shen Gon Wu, then I was thinking there was probably another way to get out."

"Most likely," Master Fung said. "I am glad that you have taken interest in theories, but may I suggest we leave now? I sense the Chi Creature is getting closer as I speak and it is not at all wise to leave Minh alone with so much evil roaming in the world."

"Ying Yo-Yo!" Omi shouted.

"Reversing Mirror!" followed Clay.

The monks and the dragon took hold of the mirror and left the strange world. The portal closed, leaving the Chi Creature shrieking behind them.

#

The Yo-Yo's did not work like the Golden Tiger Claws. It did not transport them wherever they pleased. The monks were back in Chase Young's palace, but it was empty. The eerie silence disturbed them greatly as they walked around, calling for any of their enemies to appear. Omi's eye was still swollen, but that did not stop him from searching the grounds.

Kimiko hid far away from them near the waterfall. Even though he could not see her, Omi did sense her presence.

Dojo morphed into his giant state and the others jumped on his back. He wriggled toward the gate and pushed himself into the air to take flight.

Kimiko emerged from the shadows and looked down at the splashing water. She groaned and rolled her eyes as she sat down on the rock ledge. _I'm growing soft, which is not the best thing if you're working with Chase Young. Why is it that I feel like this? The shame for my actions and the negativity is all building up in my mind. I am strong and I will continue to thrive with great strength. All I have to do is do what Chase Wants me to do… Embrace my anger._

#

Oh, the horror they had come to witness when they came closer and closer to the Xiaolin Temple. The walls were enflamed and more trees had burned down to ashes. Raimundo gasped at the sight of all of the other monks flat on the ground, exhausted and beaten. This was all definitely the work of Chase Young and the others… The others… Was Kimiko also involved? His heart ached as he came to think about the girl he once saw as a friend.

"Look over there!" Raimundo exclaimed as he caught sight of Chase Young and the others walking outside of the temple. Behind him, Minh followed with head down.

Dojo landed several feet away from the Evil Lord and the others. "Get away from her!" shouted Dojo.

"Dojo, you forget who her real master is."

The dragon's large heart sank as he looked at the little pink dragon with sad eyes. Yes, he remembers it…

* * *

_[Dojo's thoughts…]_

_"But this is for her own safety, Dashi, you have to understand." Chase insisted for his words to be heard, but young Dashi did not want to hear more of his foolish excuses._

_"Chase you went behind my back and created two of the most dangerous weapons ever."_

_"Yes, but I told him it was fine," Minh snapped. "I gave him the scale."_

_"But you do not understand the seriousness of your actions," Dashi said. His voice was low and softer. "He magically bound both of you together without his intention. There's no other way of unbinding the sorcery. The Scale and the gong, er, I mean Saucer just makes the link stronger and much more dangerous."_

_Chase Young lowered his head in shame. "I see very clearly what my mistake has done."_

_Dashi sighed as he shook his head. "Take the new Wu and burry them somewhere no one will ever dare look. We'll find out what to do with these things later."_

_[End of Thoughts]_

* * *

Dojo snapped back into reality and then realized the seriousness of the situation. Master Monk Guan came to realize it as well as he looked at the little dragon with true desperation.

"Minh, you can't," Dojo started, but the little dragon ignored is words.

"I'm sorry, Dojo. But you know exactly the consequences the creations brought."

Chase Young looked down at the little dragon and picked her up gently with his hands. "You see, Minh belongs to me." Chase Young's armor broke away as his body grew larger and larger. His head now resembled that of a reptile as well as his whole body. The dragon was dropped on the ground.

"Minh," Monk Guan said. "Please, come…"

But the little dragon did not move.

"Scale of the Serpent!" Chase hollered. The large scale in his claws began to glow immensely as Minh, too, began to glow. She felt weaker and weaker as Chase Young absorbed the little dragon's powers. He growled and then called for the power of the Golden Saucer. The golden disk expanded and floated before him. He jumped up to balance himself on the hovering object. Minh grew to her larger and then suddenly felt the same rage her master felt.

Dojo gasped and covered the others with his large body as Minh blew fire out of her mouth. The green dragon also did the same and battled the fire away from the others.

Chase Young, now in his human form hovered next to the pink dragon. "Let us go home, Minh… But before you do, leave a present that the others will never forget."

The evildoers started their way toward the entrance of the Xiaolin Temple. Minh growled loudly and it startled Dojo. With all her might, she blew a large amount of fire back onto the temple, setting the whole building on fire. She then wriggled her massive body near Dojo where she only looked at him with shame. A large tear escaped her eye and then wriggled away, picking up her true master and the others. She jumped into the air with great strength and flew into the morning sky.


	28. The Dragon of Earth

_Please excuse any grammatical errors there may be..._

_I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully parts aren't too confusing for you. If they are, feel free to tell me and I'll do my best to to correct these when the time comes. As usual, thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. I think your kind reviews are the only thing that's keeping me committed to this story (besides me wanting to write it so much!) Sit back and enjoy._

_- Cassandra (AnonymousDarkWriter)_

_P.S - __I'm holding a poll for this story on my profile. "I'm thinking of making a sequel to 'Reign of Fire'. Should I add a new monk?" Please answer my poll whenever you get the chance. Click on my profile link and the poll will be right on top of my biography. Thank you for your time._

* * *

Ch. 28

The monks had found themselves unearthing many of the dead shrubbery. Others had made their ways in and out of the temple inspecting the building. Master Fung and Master Monk Guan listened to Raimundo speak about what the Chi Creature had originally told him of Kimiko.

"… It also told me that her bad Chi has overcome the good. The only way she can come back to us is by having her overcome the evil."

Master Fung quirked an eyebrow at this as he got up from his chair and walked toward the window. "One thing that concerns me of all this is Minh. The dragon is very powerful beside Chase Young."

"But everything she does is not willing. You saw her… She didn't want to burn the temple."

Master Monk Guan sighed. "He is right… Minh and Chase Young are magically bound. Whether she wants to cause harm or not, she is still very dangerous."

"Then all we have to do is take away the Scale and Saucer, right?" Raimundo asked.

"Not exactly…" Master Fung started. "If they are magically linked to one another, it is almost impossible to undo what has been done. Minh will be forever loyal to Chase Young."

"But how exactly is it that she was loyal to Master Monk Guan all this time?"

Dojo peered into the door before entering the kitchen. He wriggled his way toward the table, jumped onto the wooden surface, and sat down. "…Because Chase didn't call for her until now."

The explanations still seemed vague for Raimundo, but there was nothing more he could ask about what went on in the past. Dojo and Master Monk Guan talked to everyone about it so they could be aware of the danger.

Clay and Omi were summoned by Master Fung's request and were given yellow sashes. To the monks' surprise, they both looked up to face Master Fung and Raimundo who smiled at them. "With new darker and greater forces beginning to align, we need a stronger force on our side."

This was what they've been waiting for… They've risen to Shoku right now at this moment because both monks have proved themselves worthy of the position.

"Master Fung, I dunno' what to say," Clay said as he looked back and forth at the sash and his master.

Omi smiled brightly as he wrapped the yellow sash around his waist, dropping the blue one on the floor. "This is most unexpected!" he exclaimed. "I don't even have a speech ready for such occasion!" The two young monks and the elder monk rolled their eyes and sighed at Omi's sentence as the little monk laughed. "I was only yanking your arm…"

"You mean leg," Raimundo added.

"Same thing…" Omi replied.

"New lessons will be learned in time. The Shen Gon Wu will be taken to Master Monk Guan's temple in the meantime. Right now you will only rely on your elemental powers, Elemental Shen Gon Wu and Weapons."

"So what's the plan?" Clay asked as he finished tying the sash in place of his red tunic.

"The plan is that of Raimundo's creation. Me, Master Monk Guan, and the others are to stay here to guard the temple." With this being said, Master Fung left the meditation hall and left the monks sort the plan out with the little green dragon who's mind was still pending on Minh.

#

"Try to realize that my intentions are not similar to yours. I only do as you say to avoid conflict with you." Minh's voice was stern. She was still in her large form and had her body hunched over to face the man who now had control over her.

"I've known that long enough, friend."

"I am not your friend… at least not anymore."

Kimiko watched the two from afar sitting beside Wuya as Hannibal Roy Bean was nestled beside Ying-Ying on the highest point of the waterfall.

The Heilyn Witch watched the man and his new pet dragon. She only smirked at the sight of him trying to bond with her once more. Wuya's eyes drifted to meet Kimiko who was a few feet away from her. She was hugging her knees and looking at her own reflection in the pool of cool water.

"Your depression makes me sick," Wuya stated.

The former Xiaolin Dragon looked up to see her and then looked back at her reflection. "No one cares. And I'm not depressed."

Wuya dipped her tanned feet into the pool and blurred her reflection only briefly before coming back again. "Tell me… Why are you so conflicted by your decision?"

The teenage girl's eyes lit up as she caught sight of the Heilyn Witch looking at her with vicious eyes. "I'm not conflicted with _anything!_"

The older woman gave off a gruff laugh. "You don't fool me, Hannibal, or Chase. Why didn't you finish that little _cheese ball _off when you had the chance? Why did you let the other one leave the Ying-Yang World?"

_"This is my mind. These are my decisions and I'll be glad if you'd stayed away from me. Stop questioning me!"_ Kimiko's words echoed through out the palace, which caused the others to look over to the pool. Both jungle cats that had become attached to the girl emerged from the shadows and walked next to the teenager who was now on her feet. "Consider that a warning."

"Kimiko…" Chase Young's voice rang out almost in a harmonious matter. Kimiko turned to see the man and the dragon looking at her. Minh shrunk to her original size and remained where she was. The teenager walked toward them slowly. "Consider it this way… Kimiko, you are the Dragon of Fire… Look at who will be joining your rank."

The former Xiaolin Warrior looked down to see the little pink dragon. "With her here it seems like you have no use of me."

"Oh, no, no," Chase said. He walked toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Minh is an addition to our team for our sake. You are the key."

"They key to what?" Kimiko said.

"To defeating the others, of course."

The little dragon hunched over and groaned. Chase Young looked down to see her and picked her up with his hands. "What is it?"

Before Minh could answer her new master, Wuya called from across the throne room to the three: "It's a new Shen Gon Wu unveiling itself!" She gasped. "The Glass Bird!"

Minh gasped as the senses for the Shen Gon Wu had come to her. Kimiko rolled her eyes and sighed as Wuya made her way toward them. Hannibal Bean had morphed himself to the larger creature that he was and moved toward the group.

"You know I have no use of Shen Gon Wu…" Chase Young stated.

Wuya smirked. "That's what you say now and then you go on using them for your own benefit."

"True…" The Evil Lord sighed. "Fine… Let's see what my new student can do for us when it comes to fighting three at once."

Kimiko smirked as she crossed her arms. "You saw me defeat them once, what more would you like to see?"

Chase Young laughed as he turned to see. "You and our new friend fighting side-by-side, of course… The old monk had chosen to promote Omi and Clay as Shoku. New strengths represent a newer show…"

Kimiko gasped at the news. They've already been promoted and at her absence. Who cared, anyway? She knew that if she continued to be with them, she would be the last to be promoted to Shoku Warrior. "Fine," she said and stormed away leaving the others smiling.

#

Dojo was in the air as Clay and Raimundo surrounded Omi. He was holding onto the scroll. Both other Shoku Warriors watched the images of the page move as Omi explained the new Shen Gon Wu's powers.

"The Glass Bird allows the user the ability of flight. It also allows you to turn to a very fine crystal, making it hard for your opponents to see you."

"Seein' that it's made outta' glass, I hope it ain't too hard to find…" Clay said.

Although Master Fung had told him that the Shen Gon Wu was to be hidden and kept away from the Shoku Warriors, the monks still went behind their master's back and kept one Shen Gon Wu they each wanted to use for today's adventure. Clay had become accustomed to the Dagger of Rock. Omi still carried around the Orb of Tornami as Raimundo wanted to put the Fan of the Winds into action since the day the monks raided Jack Spicer.

"It won't be a problem to find it…" Dojo said. "The light reflects from the glass. In other words, look down to your left."

All monks looked over Dojo's back and saw a shining object on a nest made of dried grass and twigs.

"We have company," Dojo remarked. The Shoku Warriors looked up to see the pink dragon emerge from the haze of white clouds. On each side of the dragon was Chase Young on the golden throne that was the Golden Saucer and Ying-Ying, the bird that provided transportation for the bean – like creature. On her back were Kimiko and Wuya. They smiled in a most evil way at the sight of the monks.

Minh huffed and puffed until a large gust of warm wind escaped her nostrils and her mouth expelled fire. The Shoku Warriors screamed at the sight of the red cloud of fire coming their way.

"Do something, Dojo!" Raimundo demanded.

The green dragon took a deep breath before expelling the same energy from his large mouth. Minh gasped and suddenly felt the same anger Chase Young felt at the moment. Her eyes suddenly turned bright red, similar to Kimiko's and she flew straight toward the green dragon, causing Wuya and Kimiko to fall off her back and land flat on the ground. Raimundo, Omi, and Clay saw the beginning of their clash and decided to jump from Dojo's back.

There right before their eyes, the dragons gripped each other by the claws and growled violently at each other. It wasn't until Minh took hold of Dojo's neck and flung his massive body into the air. He had no control over the force; therefore he could not fly properly. But before Dojo could disappear from their eyes, he took hold of Minh's tail and pulled her down with him. They disappeared in the vast forest.

The Heilyn and Xiaolin glared at each other. It was three against four. With Chase Young's command, Kimiko emerged from behind Wuya's body and found herself face – to – face with the new risen Shoku Warriors.

"Nice sashes…" she said. "I always knew yellow wasn't your color."

The others rolled their eyes as they prepared to fight against their former friend. Raimundo struck first, summoning the power of his element. "Wind!"

He jumped towards her and was immediately stopped by Kimiko's Fire Shield. Raimundo stepped back, patting down his pant leg to kill the small flames that had grown.

"Remember what Master Fung once told us… Wind fuels Fire in some occasions." Omi ran toward Kimiko in swift motion. "Water!" And from his hands there was a burst of large ribbons of water. Kimiko gasped at the sight and came to notice the difference of his abilities to summon his water element. The ribbons of water were much thicker than the others.

Kimiko shouted the name of her element, but it was too late. She found herself drenched in water and on the ground. Her eyes lit up red as she jumped to her feet. The others cheered Omi on and patted his back. "Don't celebrate just yet!"

Kimiko was suddenly reminded about the events that only occurred a few days ago. Chase Young told her that she could gain a new bodily form. She concentrated as she closed her eyes and allowed all the rage she had stored within her to become loose. She gasped at the strange sensation that flowed through her body and found herself much taller than before.

The monks gasped at the sight of Kimiko's new, true form. She was almost similar to Chase Young. Her head was larger and closest to that of a dragon. Her scales were a dark red and her eyes were still indeed red and not reptilian. Kimiko's ability to speak was not taken away from her. When she did talk, her voice was almost a gruesome hum. "Prepare yourselves," she warned.

She growled and pounded her large claws into the earth. Beneath the Shoku Warriors, they felt the earth rumble and couldn't help, but hide behind Clay. A large wall of fire and earth came towards them. The cowboy gasped and summoned his element. Although it was Earth versus Fire and Earth, it was not enough to conquer Kimiko's power. He and the others were thrown against a tree.

"She's too strong fer me, partners!" Clay said as he rubbed his neck.

Raimundo attempted to charge towards her again and was immediately stopped by Chase Young. He smiled as he came to see the anger in the Shoku Leader's eyes. "If you come to realize Kimiko is much stronger than you could ever be, perhaps you can quit your foolish actions and join me for a change."

The Shoku Leader kicked the Evil Lord on the chest and sent him in the air momentarily before the Golden Saucer's powers were summoned. "No. I'm not like that."

Wuya laughed as she came towards him. "Silly Raimundo…" she taunted. "You forget the special services you provided for me almost two years ago."

Kimiko calmed her rage and dropped to her knees as she came to her human form. Above her, she heard the obnoxious laughter of Jack Spicer.

Both the Xiaolin and Heilyn gasped to see Jack fly overhead towards the Glass Bird. "This Wu is mine!" he cried out.

Kimiko gasped and ran in an incredible speed toward the Shen Gon Wu. The monks tried to stop her, but were caught between Wuya and Hannibal Roy Bean.

"Someone stop her!" Omi shouted as he and Raimundo fought with the three evildoers.

Clay tipped his hat over his forehead and nodded. He ran behind the Dragon of Fire, calling the name of his element. "Earth!" He stomped on the surface of the earth and spikes emerged wherever Kimiko was.

With the newfound Heilyn Magic she now possessed, she ceased the attacks and turned them back against Clay. Jack looked down in surprise as he saw Kimiko fighting against the cowboy.

He stopped his Helibot and hovered above only for a while to watch the interesting display. He scratched his head. "Okay, where have I been?" he asked himself as he watched Kimiko flip Clay over against the ground and he did the same.

The self – proclaimed Evil Boy Genius shrugged and proceeded toward the Glass Bird. With rocks flying in the air, the Helibot was hit. Jack screamed as he crashed into a bush that was oh, so near poison ivy.

The former Xiaolin Monk and new Shoku Warrior jumped into action and took hold of the glass Shen Gon Wu. Immediately, Clay challenged her into a Xiaolin Showdown and the Dragon of Fire accepted with no further question.

#

Only several acres from the others, Dojo and Minh continued to fight against each other. The pink dragon felt so much shame for what she could do to him, but continued to fight against her will. In fact, with Chase Young's anger building up inside of her, she did not realize she was fighting against her friend until Dojo was on the ground in his original form.

"Wait!" he shouted before the larger dragon picked him up with her claws. She gasped and realized what she has done.

The pink dragon shrunk down to meet him eye to eye. The pink dragon took the green dragon into her small arms and they both embraced for a few seconds before parting. "I'm so sorry, Dojo," she said as she wriggled away from him.

"It's okay, Minh… I know you cannot control it."

The dragons sighed in exhaustion, but were glad their fight was ended before anything worse can occur.

"What if you escape?" Dojo asked.

"I'm still bound to Chase, Dojo. Wherever I may go, he is still my master. I can be in Africa for all I know… One summoning from him and I'll be unwillingly forced to travel back to him. It's hard to understand, I'm sure, but that's just how it is now."

Dojo looked down nervously away from her and realized the true danger of the Shen Gon Wu. "If you take the Shen Gon Wu from him and destroy them?"

Minh looked up to see Dojo and realized his plans.

#

"My Dagger of Rock against yer… Yer…"

Kimiko looked down to see her new master throw the metallic object of a man in a strange uniform towards her. "Kimiko bets the Defense Warrior."

The girl smiled devilishly at the sight of the object.

"The game is Clash of the Warriors. First one to call for _mercy_ loses."

#

"I don't think I can… He sees it all. He can see through my eyes if he calls for it!"

Dojo shook his head. "I can help. We can all help."

Minh shook her head and pushed the little dragon away from her. "It's too risky, Dojo. Either way, we don't have what it takes to destroy it. Only Chase Young or Dashi can do such a thing… After all, it was their magic."

The dragons heard a strange _thud_ sound coming from the other side of the forest. They saw the strange formations of rock floating around that particular place of the forest. Many of the trees were dropped from the ground and then raised again to join the floating rocks.

"Looks like there's a showdown happening," Dojo said.

"We should be heading back. He'll suspect something."

"We're not going back until you agree to do something about the Shen Gon Wu!" Dojo demanded as he jumped in front of the pink dragon and took hold of her shoulders.

#

"Gon Yi Tan Pi!"

Both teenagers faced off in the middle of their battleground. The others remained silent as they watched Kimiko and Clay begin the showdown. Jack Spicer emerged from the bush and began scratching his hands uncontrollably. Red bumps began to form and groaned to see he had landed in a poison ivy patch.

Chase Young rolled his eyes and groaned as he watched Spicer walk toward him. "What is it that you want, Spicer?"

"Just watching… Hey, one question… When did Kimiko join you?"

"Only days ago," Wuya replied for the Evil Lord.

"Well, what ever it is that you did, I'm liking it." He laughed and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Whooo! Gooo Kimikooo!"

The teenage girl turned to see who was calling her name and became surprised by the impact of Clay's boot to her face. She yelled as she landed on her back several feet away from her.

The other monks glared at Jack Spicer who kept screaming her name. Kimiko groaned in anger as she got up from the ground and walked toward Spicer. She took him by the collar of his long, black coat and flung him against a tree. "Be quiet!"

With this being done, Omi was surprised to see all the anger that Kimiko was in possession of. "If the Chi Creature was correct about Kimiko, then it seems as if she truly is lost forever and there is nothing we can do for her."

"No," Raimundo replied. "Kimiko is our friend and I will not let us give up on her."

Kimiko glared at the large cowboy before she mimicked his fighting routines. She landed her foot straight down into the ground causing a large earthquake. The others covered their eyes to keep the dust out and Kimiko proceeded on running towards him while the clouds of dust blinded Clay.

She kicked him across the face and then another time against the chest. Clay was sent flying across the air and landed almost the same way his new enemy had before. With this being done, Clay took out the Dagger of Rock and planted it against the surface of the earth. "Dagger of Rock!"

The rumbling of the Earth ceased for a few seconds and Kimiko looked around with her eyes. She came to sense something approaching, but from where? Suddenly, a tower made of rock emerged from beneath her feet and sent her into the air. The Dragon of Fire became dizzy with the elevating pressure and she focused hard on stopping the tower from sending her higher into the sky. She stomped and punched the rock several times that it came to crumble. As her eyes glowed immensely red, she punched another time and that came to split the tower in half. She came down and smirked at Clay.

In her hands, now, was the metallic object of the Defense Warrior. "Defense Warrior!" The small Shen Gon Wu began to glow as the others looked on in amazement. They gasped to see another human form emerge before their eyes. This person was heavily equipped with Samurai armor as well as weapons. Kimiko joined her Chi with the powers of the Wu. They both stood in front of Clay with devilish smiles.

"She really is brilliant, isn't she?" Chase said as he looked on with wide eyes and leaned against a log that was part of the ring.

Both warriors ran toward Clay with full speed. Clay slashed the dagger in the air and a few spikes of rock and mud came flying towards them. Either way, this was not enough to stop them and Kimiko came into contact with Clay before the Samurai Warrior did.

"Come on Clay! You can beat 'er!" Raimundo called. Kimiko glared at the Shoku Warrior and was hit once again across the face.

She groaned and sent for the warrior to fight against Clay. For several seconds, the Samurai kicked away Clay's Shen Gon Wu and had him across his shoulders. The large cowboy felt his body feeling weaker and weaker as the Samurai prolonged the pressure on his back. It wasn't long until Clay shouted, "Mercy!" and the Xiaolin Showdown was over.

The environment fell back into place and Jack walked over to greet Kimiko with blistered hands. "I gotta' say I'm loving the new you."

Kimiko groaned. "Ugh, beat it, Spicer, I'm in no mood."

Jack nodded and looked up to see Minh come towards the Heilyn team. Without Kimiko and the others' notice, Jack picked up the Dagger of Rock and zoomed away with the Helibot strapped behind his back.

Kimiko grave the new Shen Gon Wu to the Heilyn Witch who thanked her with a smile. Chase Young took notice of Raimundo's glares and the Evil Lord walked toward Kimiko.

"Well done, Kimiko…" he said. He hunched over to meet her now, blue eyes with his and hugged her.

Kimiko was taken by surprise and couldn't decide whether she should hug him back or not. Wuya rolled her eyes and walked away in annoyance as Hannibal Bean laughed at the witch's jealousy and Raimundo's.

"Hey!" Raimundo called as he saw Chase's head lift to see him.

Clay and Omi pulled him back. "Easy, partner…"

"Yes," Omi said. "We know your love for Kimiko is strong, but do not get carried away."

"What!" Raimundo whispered. "I don't love her!"

"Like… Love… Either way, you must not interfere with anything until we find new ways with dealing with them."

"The lil' partner's right, Rai…"

"Of course he is," Raimundo said as the three monks looked up to see Dojo ready for his landing.

Kimiko was pulled away from Chase Young gently and he made his way toward Minh who greeted him with a mere glimpse. The girl turned back to see the others look at her and then look away as Dojo ascended into the air.

"Aren't ya' coming?" Hannibal asked.

Kimiko gasped and saw the large creature beside her. "Yes."

The creature laughed as he called for Ying-Ying. He morphed into his small self and jumped onto the bird's back. Kimiko jumped on the dragon behind Wuya and took notice of Chase Young petting Minh. She could only imagine what their friendship was like before. The Evil Lord looked back to see Kimiko before they took off and smiled at her as a sign of a new trust between master and student.


	29. The Dragons of Water and Wind

_Please excuse any grammatical errors._

_I will say right now that there are some things are in between K+ and T. Don't worry, there's not so much violence and of course, no cussing. It's just a little remark I wrote in a certain scene... You'll see what I mean in a little while. And perhaps you can be the judge of the rating. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_- Cassandra (AnonymousDarkWriter)_

* * *

_Ch. 29 _

The trip back to the Xiaolin Temple wasn't exactly long. Dojo's mind pended on Minh while Raimundo's mind pended on Kimiko. Omi and Clay remained silent for the remainder of the journey.

Master Fung waited for them below. Beside him, Master Monk Guan stood with his hand clasping his wrist behind his back. The other monks surrounded the older monks. Their heads were lowered and their eyes only met the ground and their black shoes.

"What do you suppose they're waiting for?" Raimundo asked silently.

Omi looked down to see what their Leader was talking about. "I believe they have been waiting for us all this time."

"Yeah, but fer what?"

"I wouldn't know…" Omi replied.

Dojo descended from the sky and landed several feet away from the monks. He shrunk himself down to his original size as the others made their way toward the elders. Dojo wriggled toward Omi and jumped onto his shoulders for easier transportation.

"Young monks," Monk Guan started to say the closer each one got to them. "Your master and I have been talking… Perhaps it is best if you left for my temple while we keep guard of yours."

The three Shoku Warriors gasped in horror as they looked at Master Fung.

_"No way!"_ Raimundo said as he ran his hand in the air. _"We're staying here."_

"Now Raimundo," Master Fung started.

_"No!"_ the Shoku leader snapped back. He moved closer to the elder monks as the others looked on with curiousity. "We can't just leave like this."

"Your honor is very admirable, Raimundo, but you must listen… It will be hard to fight evil the more you resist it."

"So what? You just want us to give up?"

Master Fung raised his opened palm in the air to halt the boy's rebellious attitude. "That is not what I meant, young monk. You and the others are in great danger."

"So was she, but you pushed her out of the temple before we can do anything in our power to stop Chase Young… You're giving up on us the way you gave up on her."

Everyone fell silent at Raimundo's statement. Deep down, the new Shoku Warriors felt as if Raimundo had a great point. Right here, now more than ever, Omi started to feel a greater respect for his leader. Master Monk Guan's eyes widened as he looked at the Shoku Leader and his master.

Master Fung closed his eyes and sighed. "It is not that I underestimate your strengths, but-"

Raimundo cut him off this time. His voice was a bit firmer than it was before. It was a neutral vibe that followed with his following words… "Then you will let us stay."

The older monk looked at Raimundo and smiled. "Then I see I did not make a mistake electing you as team leader."

Omi looked up, but did not frown upon his master's words. Raimundo turned to see the others and gave them reassuring smiles. Clay and Omi smiled back at their leader.

"We cannot give up on Kimiko," Omi said as he looked up at the tall men who were now looking down at him. "When I served with Chase Young, none of you gave up on me and did all you could to bring me back. I, for one, will feel like I was betraying Kimiko if we did not stay here and fight… not against her, _but for her_."

"I reckon the lil' partner's gotta' big point. Kim'ko is a good kid an' I know it. All she gotta' do is overcome the evil, just like Rai said."

Raimundo turned back to face the tall, old monks. "So… Can we stay?"

Master Fung ran his fingers up and down his black beard as he looked down at his student. "Yes."

"Alright, partners!"

"Yes!"

"Your attitude is most icy, Master Fung!"

Raimundo sighed. "I think you mean 'cool'." He rolled his eyes, remembering Omi had mistaken the statement once before.

"That too," Omi replied.

Their cheering fell silent as the onlookers, the other monks, prepared them selves to step into the kitchen to begin making dinner. Clay, Omi, Raimundo, and the older monks stayed outside as they looked at the horizon. Omi wrinkled his eyebrows as he began to see that the sun became lower and lower from the sky.

"Master," Omi began to say, "How is it that we can defeat such a person with extraordinary strength?"

"Who?" Master Fung replied.

"I think he's talkin' bout Kim'ko."

"Yes… Her. I tried my elemental powers against her and it is most difficult. My water strikes only turns to mist when they come into contact with her fire."

"Yeah," added Raimundo. "And my wind powers only feed her fire."

"An' with my Earth attacks she only overcomes ma' attacks by feeding fire or mimicking ma' moves."

"Actually," Raimundo added again, "She mimicks all of our moves."

Master Fung and Master Monk Guan looked at each other and then back at the Shoku Warriors.

"Remember what I have said before… Water may seem invincible against Fire at certain occasions. Fire only seems to make Earth dry at, and Wind does feed the flames, but it can also overcome them as well."

The three monks looked at each other. Master Fung's reviewing lesson did not exactly answer Omi's question.

"You must think about what you can do to prevent the Earth from drying, the Winds from feeding the Fire, and the Water from evaporating at touch." Master Monk Guan looked on at the three as he said this.

"How exactly?" Raimundo asked.

"By working as a team."

Master Fung's words couldn't have been simpler. He could have said this to begin with to end their continued questioning, but this is exactly how the monk works. Monk Guan parted from the group as the smell of noodles caught his attention. Dojo made his way behind him, as he could sense the sadness within him of Minh's current situation.

As the others followed the taller monk to the kitchen, Master Fung had come to ask about the three missing Shen Gon Wu when they were transported to Monk Guan's palace to be cared for by the other monks. Clay rubbed the back of his neck as he replied for everyone that they had taken the Wu and came to losing the Dagger of Rock in a Xiaolin Showdown.

Master Fung's reaction was nothing more than a sigh and a palm to his forehead.

#

"You smell that?" Chase Young said as he extended his arms out to his sides. Minh looked around as everyone else looked down at her in confusion.

"What ever it is, it wasn't me…" Minh replied.

"That is not what I was referring to…" Chase said as he lowered his arms. The Evil Lord smiled as he looked down at Kimiko. "I was talking about victory… Tell me, Kimiko, how does it feel to be victorious once again? Good, no?"

Kimiko crossed her arms and looked away from her new master. The teenager shrugged. "Eh…" she simply said.

Wuya and Hannibal only smiled at each other and looked back at her and Chase Young. Minh sensed some sort of trouble between the two and wriggled away to her bed that was now beside Chase Young's throne.

Chase Young placed two fingers under the girl's chin and Kimiko only shook him away. The Dragon of Fire took two steps back and turned away from him.

The Evil Lord sighed. "What is wrong now?"

Kimiko shook her head. _"Nothing…"_

Wuya gruffly laughed under her breath. "Face it, Chase Young, you never really had a way with _gi_-"

Hannibal cut her off by smacking her face with a tentacle. "Quiet or you'll end up in trouble like usual…"

Chase Young rolled his eyes at Wuya's statement and turned back to see the girl. "If what troubles you are doubts of your where your loyalties stand, I'll assure you that the answer is standing behind you."

Kimiko turned slightly and caught a glimpse of the three evildoers looking at her. She shook her head and turned away again. "I'm not thinking about that."

Wuya shook her head. "She's thinking of Raimundo, I bet."

Kimiko turned around and screamed in the air as she attacked Wuya with all her strength. Chase looked at her and found it pleasing to see how her anger can get the best of the girl. Hannibal Roy Bean only laughed as they watched Wuya struggling to defend herself from Kimiko's attacks.

"Fine!" Wuya said as she blocked away the punches. _"Fine, fine! I take it all back!"_

Kimiko ceased her fighting and walked away from the Heilyn Witch who was now on the floor.

"Kimiko," Hannibal said as he held in his laughter. "You know better than that…"

_"You're not my father."_

"She got you there, Bean!" Wuya said as she walked toward him and smacked the creature upside the head.

_"Enough!"_ Chase shouted. He approached the girl, as did everyone else. Kimiko turned to face her new master as she smiled devilishly toward him.

"Take me to the temple," she said.

Minh looked up as she heard Kimiko's voice echo throughout the palace. Her heart sank. Chase Young and the others looked at the girl with frowns. Their eyes could only state confusion.

"Take me to the temple," she said again. "And we'll see how long it will take for them to surrender without their precious Shen Gon Wu."

#

Their meal was quiet. Dojo and Master Monk Guan left the dinner table first and quietly walked through the hallways. They spoke of Minh and any possible ways of returning her back to them.

"…And we'll use the Sands of Time to destroy the Scale and the Saucer." Dojo finished speaking of his plans as Monk Guan shook his head.

"It's risky… Altering the past may mean the worst for the present time."

"What if we kidnap her?" Dojo said. This was his final plan and the only plan that can make any more sense. "And then we steal the Shen Gon Wu."

"Then what?" Monk Guan asked. "If we steal back the Shen Gon Wu, what will we do then? He'll come after Minh, the Scale, and the Saucer."

Dojo rubbed his chin. "I suppose then we could use the Sands of Time and ask Dashi how we can destroy it?"

Monk Guan shook his head and chuckled. "You just really want to use the Sands of Time, don't you?"

Dojo giggled as he shrugged. The dragon stopped in his tracks and then closed his eyes shut. He felt his tiny claws beginning to shake uncontrollably. "A new Shen Gon Wu has come to reveal itself!"

Master Monk Guan and Dojo were now in the small room where the scroll was kept. Clay, Omi, and Raimundo surrounded Master Fung and watched the little pictures of the scroll move as their master explained the powers of the new Shen Gon Wu.

"The Warrior's Clasp is a most interesting Shen Gon Wu. When a user summons its powers, it can form to any kind of weapon temporarily."

"It's good for blocking away any attacks… It's not much of a preferable accessory, I'll you that…" Dojo said as he put his tiny claws on his hips.

"Accessories?" Raimundo said. "How much do you guys wanna' bet Kimiko and the others will be there for this Shen Gon Wu?"

"Raimundo," Master Fung said. "The others will go to retrieve the Shen Gon Wu. In the meantime, you will stay here with the elder monks to guard the temple."

Raimundo's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Because it was an order. Master Monk Guan and I will take half of the others and go to the village." The old man looked out the window. "I had come to sense that something horrible would happen tonight."

#

Omi and Clay were on Dojo's back when they came nearer to the Beach Boardwalk of Santa Cruz, California. The little monk was very impressed by the vast surface area of the sea. He looked at the interesting attractions that were the large amusement park rides. People gathered to the shoreline and looked at Dojo with amazement.

"Look at that… I have admirers." Dojo said.

"It's a shame that we didn't bring the Gills of Hamachi with us."

"What makes ya' think the Shen Gon Wu is under water?" Clay asked.

The little monk came to point toward the shoreline. There, Chase Young stood and watched as the little dragon Minh emerged from the water and gave her master a shiny object.

"Good work, Minh," Chase Young said and petted the little dragon on the head. The Evil Lord looked up into the sky and watched as Dojo soared overhead. Omi and Clay jumped off from his back to stand face – to – face with Chase Young. The people began to cheer and clap, thinking that the strange folk were performers for the Boardwalk. Their thoughts stopped as they saw Dojo descend. The citizens realized that Dojo was indeed a dragon and they slowly backed away.

Dojo rolled his eyes and sighed as he looked fiercely upon the people. He cleared his throat and gently said, "Roar." The people ran off screaming loudly into the air. The great dragon laughed to himself as he watched the beach clear away. "Oh, a dragon can get used to this…" And he shrunk himself down to his original form.

"Where are the others?" asked Clay as he looked at Chase Young.

The Evil Lord only smiled devilishly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

#

Raimundo walked by himself and came to realize the silence that crept up in the air. He hated anything creepy and was very disturbed by the silence. Yes, he knew that the monks worked in silence, but this was too much silence one person can only withstand. The Shoku Leader walked through the hallways and noticed the candles in the lanterns were slowly dimming.

He gasped and looked around in confusion. Certainly, he was not causing the flames to die out and there was not a breeze in the air. The Brazilian teenager ran toward the courtyard and to his horror, he saw that all of the monks were knocked out cold on the ground.

"Whoa… What is going on?"

He looked over to the Shen Gon Wu vault and saw that the lanterns were still on there. The Dragon of the Wind quirked up and eyebrow as he walked toward the vault.

He peered into the building, but saw nothing else besides that the vault had already been opened.

"Who's in here?" he asked and looked down the stairs. It was dark, but there was no sign of any intruders here.

As the boy turned to face the door again, he felt a fist run against his face. Raimundo fell back against the wall with closed eyes. The laughter of a girl surprised him and caught his attention. He looked up to witness Kimiko's face.

#

The people in the nearby village screamed loudly into the air. Master Fung, Master Monk Guan and the others came to see the great chaos that was occurring.

"What is happening?" Guan asked the smaller monks looked up to see him. They shrugged as they looked in all directions, hoping to spot the person that was causing the commotion.

"My, my," Wuya's gruff voice echoed in the air.

"Wuya," Master Fung said in a gasp.

"The one and only."

#

"Chase Young… Turn over the Warrior's Clasp, or suffer a humiliating defeat!" Omi shouted as he positioned himself for an attack.

Chase Young laughed in a taunting matter to Omi as he looked at him. Minh wriggled toward her master and jumped onto his arm. "That will be difficult… You see, you've already been defeated three times."

Clay and Omi looked at each other and then back at the Evil Lord.

"Unless you want to experience the same thing a fourth time, leave now."

Omi shook his head. "I will not give up." He charged Chase Young, summoning the Shimo Staff. The blue cylinder – like object formed itself to a larger rod. The Dragon of Water jumped high into the air and aimed the rod against Chase Young.

The Evil Lord turned all the way around and kicked the blue rod hard, causing Omi to become unbalanced. Minh gripped her master's arm for better support, closing her eyes shut.

It was Clay's turn to attack. With a large stomp in the ground as he shouted the title of his element, the sand came toward the Evil Lord as a large wave. Moments later, heaps of sand appeared and Chase Young was nowhere in sight.

Clay approached the bigger hill of sand. Suddenly, Chase Young emerged and attacked Clay once, twice, thrice, and then kicked him so hard that the cowboy went flying several feet away from the Evil Lord.

Omi emerged again. "Tsunami Strike, Water!" Omi twirled around repeatedly in fast motion. Chase Young began to see the seriousness of the new situation as water emerged from the sea and was used for Omi's defense tactic.

The water was expelled toward Chase Young. Minh gasped and formed to her bigger self, pulling away Chase Young as she took flight into the air momentarily before being shot down by Omi's water strike.

The pink dragon fell face first into the sand. Chase Young landed on his feet and realized that the Warrior's Clasp was nowhere in his hands. Omi and the evildoer looked at the middle of the beach and came to notice that the Shen Gon Wu was there. Both of them ran toward the Shen Gon Wu and both had come to touch it. Immediately, Omi challenged Chase Young to a Xiaolin Showdown. Of course, Chase Young accepted without hesitation.

#

Wuya fended of the attacks of the monks. Each time one tried to strike a punch or a kick, she'd use the Crystal Bird to form into a fine crystal. Wuya's strength increased more with the Shen Gon Wu's powers for it became harder for them to see, especially at night.

Master Fung attacked and attacked, but then Wuya kicked him hard in the crystal form. "You're old… You should get out of here and retire."

"I can say the same thing about you, Wuya," Master Fung replied, remembering that the Heilyn witch was nearly 1500 years old. He attacked again and failed. Fung was thrown against three other monks.

Master Monk Guan came forward with one other Spear of Guan. Wuya came to kick the wooden weapon, which broke it in half. With the Energy Drainer, she attacked both elder monks as well as the others in white and black robes. With this, they fell into a deep slumber, making it easier for Wuya to attack the village.

#

"I will fight without Shen Gon Wu," Chase said as he looked at Omi.

The little monk groaned, looked at Clay, and then back at Chase. "I, too, will fight with no Shen Gon Wu." Omi looked around at the beach and tried to think of an interesting Showdown.

"Any minute…" Dojo said as he crossed his arms.

Omi looked at Dojo with dissatisfaction and rolled his eyes. "The game is an obstacle course around…" Omi looked toward the fairgrounds that were only a few feet away. _"…There."_

"Fine. We will test our strengths and agility against each other there. The one with most flags wins."

Omi and Chase joined their voices together, shouting "Let's Go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

With the acceptances made, both warriors found themselves within the fair. The rides grew larger and wider and Clay found himself in a seat of the Ferris Wheel beside Dojo and Minh.

There was not much change in the environment, but the others did not mind at all. The rides had aligned themselves in a straight line as the others parted from each other.

"Gon Yi Tan Pai!" they shouted and the game began.

Chase Young started off first, kicking Omi on the side of his small body and made his way toward a strange ride known as The Vortex. It spun around, as Chase Young became closer and closer to a yellow flag that was in the middle of the apparatus.

Omi groaned as he looked up to see Chase young struggling to keep his balance on the ride. "Huh… Piece of Pie!" he shouted.

"I think ya' mean 'cake'!" Clay shouted. The Ferris Wheel had started to move, making it less comfortable for the monk and dragons to enjoy the showdown.

"That too!" Omi shouted as he ran toward The Vortex. The little monk summoned his elemental strengths as he jumped forward. He landed on the edge of the ride, causing Chase Young to look up.

The Evil Lord looked down and pulled hard at a leathered seat. With all his strength, he was able to pull it from the floors and then threw it against Omi. The little monk moved away from the attack and Chase Young's eyes widened.

"You forget, Chase Young, that you have once taught me…"

The Evil Lord smiled. "Yes, but it seems as if Kimiko is the better student."

Omi quirked an eyebrow and the ride stopped moving. Omi was knocked out of his place and Chase Young only laughed at the boy's jealousy. The Evil Lord picked up the yellow flag and continued toward the next ride. Omi groaned in pain as he rubbed his large head. He could hear Clay and Dojo cheer him on. This gave the little monk a lot of confidence.

Omi jumped to his feet to proceed to the next ride as well.

And this continued on for about ten minutes. Both warriors were exhausted as they fought for the fourth flag. Right now, Chase young and Omi had three flags in their hands.

"Prepare yourself," Omi warned.

"For what exactly?" Chase Young said. His arms were extended toward the little monk as they continued to glare at each other.

"For this…" Omi raised his arms into the air and then shouted, "Water!" Omi punched Chase Young several times before knocking him down from his feet. They were in the bumper cars now, and the flag was hanging from the cables up above.

Omi proceeded to jump upward, but Chase Young caught his leg. He slammed the poor Xiaolin Monk on the flooring of the ride.

"It's sad to see you monks so weak without the fourth member of your team…" Chase stated with a laugh.

Omi shook his head as he struggled to stand. "Just because one of us is gone, it does not mean we are weak!"

With this, Omi jumped to his feet and kicked Chase several times on the face and then on the chest. He could hear the evildoer's cries, but did so much to concentrate on his victory. With the last kick against the man's face, Chase Young fell out of the ride.

Omi smiled on as he jumped upward, retrieving the last flag. The showdown was over.

Clay emerged from behind the fence to congratulate Omi who was now holding the Warrior's Clasp. Dojo looked back at Minh who dared not to see him. Chase Young was now standing in front of the little monk and congratulated him on his victory.

"But even if you are victorious now, remember this: I am still a winner."

Chase Young jumped on Minh's back as she flew into the sky.

"What do ya' reckon he meant, lil' partner?" Clay asked.

"He was referring to our friend Kimiko."

Clay looked confused. "How exactly?"

Omi sighed. "Remember when Master Fung said he sensed something bad was going to happen?"

This is when Dojo and Clay's eyes widened.

"We better be getting back!" Dojo said as he jumped out of the apparatus. He morphed himself to the greater dragon that he was and the others jumped on his back.

#

Raimundo tried to fight back against Kimiko, but he dreaded the fact that he'd hurt her. But it wasn't exactly her… So he did all he could. She was in her red, reptilian form and had him in her grip.

"Where's the Wu?" her voice hummed.

"I ain't telling you anything!"

Kimiko pushed him against the brick wall and Raimundo resisted her strength. With her large claws, she applied great amounts of pressure onto his arms and Raimundo began to feel a tear escape from his eye. Kimiko's red eyes widened, but she did not hold back from the attack.

"Kimiko…" he struggled to say. "You gotta listen to me!"

But the girl in this form did no care to listen to what he had to say…

"Fine!"

Raimundo kicked her hard on the abdominal area. That sent Kimiko flying in the air. She landed on her belly several feet away from him on the other side of the large pot that was in the middle of the vault. Kimiko stood to her knees and looked down to see that her claws were no longer there. Her small hands appeared before her eyes. She groaned as she came to realize she was now in her human form.

Raimundo came to attack her from behind, but it did not do so much damage. The teenage girl resisted his punch. The Shoku Leader turned her around so her eyes can meet his.

"Kim, you gotta' listen to me!" Raimundo insisted.

Kimiko snarled as she glared at him with her reddened eyes. "Ugh! Why can't you just leave me alone? It was my decision to begin with!"

Raimundo used all his strength to push her against the brick wall. "And that's the perfect reason to interfere. You are not like this!"

Kimiko's lips curved to form a smile and she laughed at him. "You just can't stand to see the sight of me with someone else…"

Raimundo's eyes widened. She couldn't be referring to Chase Young, now would she? He shook his head and looked back at the girl. "That is not my reason to interfere! I care a great deal about you because you are my friend… And because I-"

Suddenly, the voice of Hannibal Roy Bean escaped the Japanese girl's lips… "How sweet, but you forget she ain't yer friend anymore!" Raimundo stepped away from the girl and came to realize that his whole time he fought with Hannibal. "Moby Morpher!"

The girl became the creature before the teenager's eyes. Raimundo glared and clenched his fists as he came to realize he was so close to confess his feelings for the Dragon of Fire to him.

"How sweet," Hannibal stated as he hollered a horrible laugh. "The boy had become jealous…"

Raimundo groaned. "You'll pay for this!"

But before he can summon the powers of his element, the real Kimiko Tohomiko knocked out the Brazilian teenage boy. She stood behind him with a wooden rod in her hand. She let it fall on the floor, a few inches beside the Shoku Leader.

The creature laughed as he dragged his heavy body toward the girl. "Shall we take him to Chase?"

"No," she said as she looked away from the tired boy. "Let's leave him here. We'll have no use for him now that Minh's on our side."

She began to make her way toward the open door of the vault. Hannibal Roy Bean followed her. The Brazilian boy opened his eyes to behold to sight of his former friend. Now, more than ever he came to realize her true betrayal. In this moment, it was now hard to believe that she will ever come back to the Xiaolin Side.

* * *

Prepare yourselves to the future chapters as we come closer to the end of this story! Here's a little monologue I'm sure you'll be anticipating...

#

**Omi placed a hand on Raimundo's shoulder. "What ever happened, I assure you it was not our fault. She was the one who made the decision."**

**"Yeah, I know that..."**

**"Then why exactly are you sad 'bout stuff ye already know?"**

**Raimundo groaned as he recalled what had happened only a few days ago. "Let's just say things just got personal with our former best friend Kimiko."**

**Omi and Clay looked at each other dumbfounded and then back at their leader. **

**"What are ye sayin'?"**

**Raimundo looked up to see Clay as he got up from the floor. "What I'm saying is that perhaps hope is truly lost. Kimiko drank the Lao Mang Long Soup and now the only relationship we can ever have with her is that one between enemies." **

#

I hope you enjoyed reading that! I'll probably not update within a day, or two, but don't worry... There's a lot more to come! Stay tuned!


	30. In the Hotspot

_Please excuse any grammatical errors. I'll go back and tend to them when I get the chance..._

**_NOTE._**

_Okay... More action? Here it is. More Rai x Kim? Well, let's ease up on it... Chase x Kim? You tell me! Thank you for your kind reviews and compliments. _

* * *

Ch. 30

"Defense Warrior!"

"Warrior's Clasp!"

The Dragon of Fire joined her Chi with the Samurai and unleashed the second power of the Shen Gon Wu. The user had now become one with the Samurai. Chase Young smiled as he saw that Kimiko was learning quite fast. From the stairs of the throne room, Wuya, Hannibal and Minh watched Chase train the former Xiaolin girl.

Kimiko was now suited from head to toe in the armor of the Samurai Warrior. Chase Young watched as she unsheathed a sword from the scabbard. The clasp that was bound around his wrist suddenly turned to large shield as to protect himself. Kimiko charged, but dared not use the sword against her new master. She screamed in the air quite loudly as she brought down the blade against the shield. Chase Young only pushed her away as he gained his strength.

"Focus on your target," Chase said.

The teenage girl nodded and dropped the sword to the ground. She retracted the power of the Defense Warrior and the metallic object of came dropped on the floor as it originally was. With Kimiko dropping her weapon, Chase Young was not so convinced that she would fight without anything.

And he was right. He caught a great glimpse of Kimiko's Cat's Eye Draco already on her arm.

"Cat's Eye Draco!" Kimiko shouted and her eyes began to glow in a darker read color than usual. She jumped forward, exclaiming "Fire!" and brought Chase down to his knees after several attacks.

Wuya rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Typical…" she murmured.

"Typical?" Chase Young said as he got up to his feet and turned to see the Heilyn Witch. "What is so typical?"

"Oh nothing… just that a Xiaolin monk had brought you down again."

Kimiko groaned. "I am not a Xiaolin monk anymore."

In swift movement Chase Young appeared right in front of Wuya. She was only a few inches away from his face. He snarled… "If you find yourself to be stronger than I, then I suggest you train her!"

Wuya was thrown onto the floors and she landed several feet near Kimiko. She gasped as she saw Kimiko approach her with flames in her hands. "What's the matter, Wuya?" And she laughed in a way no one has ever heard before.

The Heilyn witch groaned and got up to her feet. She attacked once, twice, and then another time until Kimiko blasted fireballs toward the witch. Wuya gasped as she saw the flames come faster and faster toward her face. She took her hands in the air and then caught the fireball in her palms. With a thrust into the air, she expelled the attack back toward Kimiko, causing the teenager to land on her bottom.

"Ummph!"

Wuya smiled devilishly and made her way into an opened door. Her work was done and she had become angry and tired. Surely, without her evil powers, she was nothing more than a prop for Kimiko's target practice.

The Japanese girl closed her eyes and got back to her feet. As she opened them, she saw Chase Young now standing in front of her. The man was not smiling at her, but either way he wasn't always satisfied. He shook his head and made his way toward the hallway that led to his room. Kimiko gasped as she saw that her new master was not satisfied.

No. She will not be a failure like she was when she was in the Xiaolin Side.

_"Wait!"_ she yelled, catching Hannibal Roy Bean's attention. "We're _not_ finished just yet."

Chase stopped in his tracks. His hands were behind his back and kept his back facing her. "Your enthusiasm is amusing, but I can see you've learned nothing more than needing Shen Gon Wu to fight… _We are done here_."

Now, he was a few feet away from the doorway. He looked up to see a fireball swoop overhead and land right in the middle of the doorway. Young turned to face his new student who was standing with flames in her palms and feet. The Evil Lord smiled devilishly.

"Fine…" He looked up to see Hannibal Roy Bean looking down at them. "Care to join us?"

The Bean Creature laughed loudly and jumped down the stairs. He joined Chase's side as he looked down at the Japanese girl.

"_Two against one. _If you can't defeat us within… let's say ten minutes, then you'll be off to do your chores."

Fire Girl only looked at them and nodded. With a smile curved on her lips and flames growing higher and higher in her palms, Kimiko ran toward both evildoers.

#

Raimundo was the first of the three students to rise. It has only been three days since the previous attack. Several of the elder monks were in the village to help the townspeople that were recently attacked by Wuya.

Master Monk Guan left the temple only yesterday to keep track of the Shen Gon Wu and the other monks.

These two days have been quite peaceful compared to the days when Kimiko had chosen the evil ways. Not much evil activity had been occurring anywhere else in the world besides in these few parts of China.

The Brazilian teenage boy roamed the hallways by himself. With his hands behind his back and his head kept low, he ignored the wonderful view of the rising sun. A few plants have been brought from the greenhouse to the outside world to be replanted and to replace the dead ones. Several small trees had also been planted in place of the ones Kimiko and Minh had burned down.

He was a few feet near the kitchen and decided to stop right in that spot. The Shoku Leader took hold of the wooden railing and brought his whole body weight forward to lean against it. He sighed, crossed his arms, and dug his face into them.

It was a serene morning… The birds chirped loudly and flew here and there. A small breeze swept up some of the dried leaves from the ground and took them only several inches away from their original places. The sky was in all shades of blue and orange as the sun emerged to the morning sky.

"Is there something troubling you, Raimundo?" a voice said behind him.

Raimundo turned to see that it was his master. "Oh," he began to say. "It's just you."

"Were you expecting someone else?"

Raimundo shook his head.

"Then what is wrong?" Master Fung stepped forward and Raimundo looked up to see his Master in the eyes.

"I'm starting to think I'm not good enough."

"Good enough for what, exactly?"

Raimundo sighed and turned to view the training yard as he gestured his arm towards it. _"All of this."_ He turned to face his master again as he crossed his arms. "I think I'm not at all good enough for everything." The memories of what had occurred only three days ago on the night Kimiko (actually being Hannibal Roy Bean) attacked him came back to him. "I thought that maybe she was still good, but now as I come to see it…"

"You fear that Kimiko will not return to who she was and you are not strong enough to bring her back."

"Not to who she _was_, but to who she is… Who she _truly_ is."

Master Fung looked over to the horizon and caught the sight of the rising sun. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and sighed. "You had hope in her and the others followed. Lose the hope, and then all will be truly lost." Master Fung removed his pale hand form the boy. Raimundo watched him walk away. Before entering the kitchen, the old man stopped and turned to face him. He gently said, "Don't give up. You are stronger than you'll ever know." And he walked right into the kitchen with no other word.

The Shoku Leader looked over to see the horizon. _How does he get the inspiration to think of these things? _he came to ask himself.

Perhaps if he looked on and became observant of the environment around him, then he, too, will gain the inspiration he needs to believe in himself once more. But all of this seemed hopeless, now. Kimiko was once a good friend. He protected her and vise – versa. How do you bring back the person who doesn't care about you anymore?

#

A soda can rolled over the desk and fell onto the floor. Jack Spicer screamed, being startled by the loud clanging noise. He took away his goggles from his eyes and focused on the metallic cylinder on the floor. Stepping away from one of his smaller robots, he sighed as he picked up the can and threw it into the garbage can.

"Jackie!" screamed the voice of a woman from above the basement.

"_What do you want, mom?_ I'm in the middle of plotting world domination!"

"That's nice dear…! Make sure you get that place cleaned up and kid-friendly!"

Jack's eyes widened. "W-why?"

"You have a visitor!" she replied and said nothing more.

"A visitor?" Jack asked himself as he rubbed his chin. He gasped as he saw a small, dark figure emerge from the shadows. When her purple dress and short, blond hair became visible in the light, Spicer screeched loudly.

"Hiii, Jackie!" the little girl's voice chimed.

"M-M-Megan!" Jack shook his head and raised his index finger in the air.

The little girl's purple bow swayed as she walked down the stairs. She looked to and fro as if searching for something with her hands on her hips… "Where's the ugly witch?"

Jack chuckled. "She's not here anymore." He moved his arms upward and began to flex. "I sent her away…"

Megan giggled. "I know you didn't do it," she said. "There's some stuff on the news about a man in an armor suit and a lady named Wuya."

"And an overgrown bean… And a girl with fire powers…"

The little girl quirked up an eyebrow as she walked toward her cousin. "A girl with fire powers? You mean the one with black hair?" She giggled. "The one from before?"

"Yes… Yes… Yes!"

"Everyone has someone, but you, Jackie!" the girl taunted as she took a seat on a spare Robot leg.

"Th-that's not true! And get off from that!" The self-proclaimed Evil Boy Genius walked toward the robot leg and pulled it out from beneath her.

"Ummff!" She was on the floor now and she looked around, disgusted by the amount of dust on the floor. "Jackie! Don't make me tell your mommy!"

Jack looked at her and turned away as he caressed the robot leg. "Go ahead!"

"Fine…" She got up to her feet and made her way upstairs. "Oh, Auntie Spicer!"

Jack screamed, dropped the spare leg, and ran toward Megan. With his pale hand, he covered the little girl's mouth. "Okay, okay! What do you want?"

The little girl opened her mouth and bit his thumb, causing Jack Spicer to shriek into the air again. "I want to play with those weird toys you had before."

"What weird toys?" After a brief pause he realized what his cousin was asking for. "Oh, you mean the Shen Gon Wu?"

He looked down to see that she was no longer in front of him. The Goth turned to see that she was on the table. In her small hands was the Dagger of Rock. Jack walked over in a sigh and snatched it from her hands.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"No, Megan!" he scolded. "It's _dangerous_."

Megan giggled as she looked up to see her older cousin. "Auntie Spicer says your crazy mind is dangerous"

Jack scowled at the girl and pulled away the Dagger of Rock as she attempted to get it again. "I'm not crazy!"

The basement door was knocked over suddenly. Megan gasped as she caught sight of the same woman that came on the news. "Look, Jackie!"

Jack looked up and saw as Wuya came toward them. The Heilyn Witch sighed as she caught a glimpse of the girl.

"I see you haven't changed…"

Megan crossed her arms. "You look like a human, but you're still as ugly as before."

"Quiet, you!" Wuya snarled.

Jack leaned against the table as he looked at Wuya. "Well, well, well… Wuya, what brings you here?"

The Heilyn Witch laughed as he looked at the Goth. "I was in the neighborhood, and I decided to drop by…"

"Enough games, Wuya," Jack snapped. "Talk business!"

The Heilyn Witch scowled and put her hands on her hips. "Fine!" She looked at Megan and then back at Jack. "Here's the deal, Spicer… I'm tired of Kimiko and I want-"

Jack cut her of. "…And you want to put the old team back together."

Wuya nodded.

Megan shook her head. "You dump the man in the armor for him? Oh, Ugly Witch, you really don't know anything about business…"

Wuya snarled as she swooped her arm down to snatch the little girl. Jack took her into his arms.

"No, no," he said gently. "No fighting…"

Wuya groaned and took the boy's collar of his black coat into her hands. Jack screamed loudly as Wuya pulled him closer. "Now listen, _Jackie_, I'm in charge here… And whatever we're going to do, the girl stays behind…"

Spicer pulled himself away from Wuya and stepped toward Megan. "No-can-do, Sister… I'm babysitting. Besides… The money I get from this goes to my bots."

Wuya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "So, what Shen Gon Wu do you have?"

The Goth's cheeks reddened as he showed the woman the only one he had. "That's it?"

"Yes… For now."

Wuya sighed. "It's a good thing I brought these…" The Heilyn Witch took out the Crystal Bird and Energy Drainer from inside her robes.

Megan was intrigued by the sight of the bird and took it into her hands. The Heilyn Witch snatched it back, making the little girl cross her arms and purse her lips.

"So what's the plan?" Jack asked as he looked at his new partner in crime.

#

Kimiko was not exactly successful during training. She defeated Chase Young only temporarily, and realized that Hannibal Roy Bean was an excellent opponent. The girl was found scrubbing the floors of the throne room as Minh silently watched her from her bed. The Evil Lord and the Bean Creature were not in sight. Chores were not a preferable activity for the teenage girl, but it was an interesting way to keep her mind at ease and control her anger.

The little pink dragon sighed and slithered her way out of bed. As she made her way downstairs, Kimiko could only ignore the dragon.

"Kimiko?" the little dragon's voice chimed.

The Dragon of Fire ignored her requests.

Minh sighed and rolled her eyes. She jumped toward the girl, knocking over the bucket of water that was perched in front of her.

Kimiko groaned and proceeded to grab the dragon, but then stopped herself. She knew better than to grab the dragon. "Ugh, look at what you've done!"

Minh smacked the Japanese girl on the cheek, infuriating Kimiko. "Hey!" she shouted.

"Kimiko, you have to snap out of it!"

The girl jumped to her feet and leaned over to her. "Snap out of it? You're the one slapping me!"

"I know you drank the Lao Mang Long Soup, but… But this isn't you!"

The Japanese girl looked away with sorrowful eyes. This action did not last very long… Her eyes quickly turned to that dark, red color and then she turned back to the dragon with raised fists.

"Kimiko," Chase Young's voice brought the girl back to reality.

She turned to face her new master with her blue eyes. For only a moment, she was afraid of what he would do… Punish her? But his next words only eased her thoughts for a moment.

"Where is Wuya?"

Kimiko looked down at the puddle of water next to her feet and then looked up to see him. "I wouldn't know. I was cleaning until a _certain dragon_ interrupted me."

Chase looked down and saw the puddle and Minh. The little pink dragon looked at her master and smiled nervously, hiding her claws behind her long, skinny back as to seem innocent in his eyes.

Chase Young looked around. One of the crows that always assisted him with spying was flying above his head. "Look for her… And I think you know where."

The black bird cawed in the air before swooping down several feet and disappearing through the gate opening. Kimiko looked toward the gate before coming into full contact with Chase Young. She was a few inches shorter than he was a few months ago. At the moment, Kimiko caught sight of him completely than ever before… His long, dark hair, his very flawless and light skin, reptilian eyes and even his smile.

The girl retracted back behind the bucket, and Chase only smiled at the sight of her confusion and fear. She ignored his gaze as she hunched over to pick up the bucket and brush.

"Kimiko…" Chase Young's voice hummed in the air. "Enough cleaning."

The Dragon of Fire smirked. "Fine by me…" And she dropped the bucket on the floor, startling Minh.

The Evil Lord took a step forward, causing Kimiko to step back. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment and confusion. "You still don't trust me…"

Kimiko's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, no," she started to say. "It's not like that."

Chase looked at her. "Then what is it?"

"I'm just…not used to so much attention."

He smirked in amusement.

"What's so funny?"

Young looked at the dragon and then back at her. Minh sighed as she answered for her Lord. "You're the only girl in that lived in the temple…"

"And?"

"With three other guys."

Kimiko understood what they meant and then laughed hysterically. "No way…" she said as she continued to laugh. "I always thought of them as-" She hesitated and looked at her master raise an eyebrow. "…As friends and family."

Chase Young crossed his arms and shook his head. "Oh really? Then who was the family and who were the friends?" Kimiko looked away which only seemed to make Chase Young laugh. "Clay and Omi were family… Raimundo was a friend. Or perhaps more?"

The girl stayed quiet and faced her back towards him.

Chase laughed.

"They're pretty much nothing to me anymore."

Minh gasped and watched the amusement in Chase Young's face. The Evil Lord walked toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Prove it," he said.

Kimiko turned around to see him in the eyes. His look was cold and stern.

_"Prove it,"_ he repeated.

#

Jack and Wuya were creeping around the outside parts of the Xiaolin Temple. The self-proclaimed Evil Boy Genius drew the Dagger of Rock from his pocket and summoned its powers. After he pushed it straight into the ground, a large rumbling sound and quakes started to emerge from the ground.

"Jackie!" Megan began to squeal.

"Who's there?" Raimundo began to call out.

"See what that little brat did?" Wuya snapped.

"For your information, Ugly Witch, he used that thing to call them out. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Jack Spicer!" Omi's voice called. "I am calling you in!"

Raimundo smacked his face with his hand. Wuya and Jack rolled their eyes and sighed.

"He means he's callin' ya' out…" Clay responded.

Omi rolled his eyes and looked straight forward to the Goth and the Heilyn Witch. Megan appeared from behind Jack's back.

"Uh…" Raimundo started to say. "Is that…?"

"I remember you!" the little girl chimed.

Dojo looked from the window and remembered the time they played Tea Party. "I think it's best to stay inside…" he said to himself.

Before the Xiaolin Monks could say anything else, there was an unsettling stillness setting upon them. A large gust of wind scared them all, including the Dragon of the Wind.

Both teams, including Megan, looked up to see Minh's massive body over them. The battle cries of a familiar figure rang in the air.

"Kimiko…" Raimundo said under his breath.


	31. Purple Bows of Doom

_**Please excuse any grammatical errors.**_

_NOTE_

_I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I'm going back to school next Tues. and I've been working on a video project and essays (yes, I procrastinated... lol). Anyway, I really do hope you enjoy this. I kind of rushed through some parts. _

_- Cassandra (AnonymousDarkWriter)_

* * *

Ch. 31

The Dragon of Fire landed on the far right. She didn't seem armed, but Raimundo did notice a strange necklace hanging from her neck. The teenager noticed his eyes on her and she smirked, taking the strange charm in her hands.

_"Looking at this?"_ she said.

Raimundo raised an eyebrow as he straightened up.

"Okay, okay… Hold on a sec!" The Goth started to shout as he waved his arms in the air. "I am so not used to this!"

"Well get used to it," Kimiko demanded. "Because you'll be seeing a lot of this for now on."

Raimundo snarled at the sight of Chase Young jumping from Minh's back. The Brazilian boy's eyes never left Chase… He watched as the girl's new master stepped beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders. The Evil Lord's actions startled every single one of them, even Omi who could not quite understand.

But what the little Dragon of Water did notice was the look on Raimundo's face… His face reddened, his fists were clenched and his eyes never looked away from the Evil Lord and the new enemy.

"What is it that you all want?" Raimundo asked. He gritted his teeth and seemed very annoyed, which only made the evildoers smile.

"What I want-" Wuya began to say before Jack Spicer's look cut her off. She sighed, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What _we_ want is Shen Gon Wu."

"Why is it that you need it now more than ever?" Chase Young interrupted.

"Oh," Wuya began to say nervously. She had barely come to notice his presence and she placed her hands on her back, blushing. "Well, I, uh-"

"Traitor," Kimiko stated.

"Never!" Wuya snapped.

"The biggest one I've ever seen," Raimundo said. He gave Kimiko a smile, but the girl shook her head and returned to lay her eyes upon the Heilyn Witch.

"Biggest one you've ever seen? Dear, boy, do you not remember the betrayal you've done to your friends and then to me?" The Heilyn Witch laughed.

"Leave 'im outta' this, you ol' good fer nothin' hag!" Clay shouted.

"If I don't?"

"Then you'll suffer a most humiliating defeat!" Omi added.

"And suddenly everyone forgets the Jack-O is here!" Jack squealed.

"Everyone always does…" Megan stated as she poked her head out of a bush.

"Not true!" he argued back.

Chase Young steadily leaned toward Kimiko's left ear as he gently whispered words. The Xiaolin Monks looked on nervously as Young stepped away from the fire girl. The little pink dragon had appeared by his feet and coiled herself near him.

For a moment, everything was silent… But then Kimiko's eyes gave off an alarming stare as they began to glow in that dark red.

"Get ready…" Omi said silently. The three monks turned to face Chase Young and Kimiko, forgetting of Wuya and Jack.

This is when Megan hid behind a bush.

Kimiko looked back to see her master and then looked at the charm around her neck. With swift motion, she ran past the monks and made her way into the temple.

"Stay here and deal with these guys!" Raimundo said.

"Will do, partner!" Clay said as he tipped his hat.

Wuya made her move with the emerald in her hands as she aimed for Chase Young. An enlarged Minh, whose powers were already draining away, protected the Evil Lord.

Raimundo ran behind Kimiko as fast as he could. She passed by Master Fung. The older monk looked around to find any signs of her. It was as if she disappeared in thin air.

"Where'd she go?" Raimundo asked, panting.

The older monk looked around and tried to focus. But as soon as he closed his eyes to harness his inner Chi, he was kicked in the back. This collision caused the elder monk to fall against Raimundo, giving Kimiko enough time to escape.

Raimundo pushed him off gently and quickly got up to his feet. "You were my friend once, but if you're gonna' treat me like your enemy, then I'll treat you the same way."

Omi found himself on the ground. Wuya's footsteps were not so far away as Jack hovered over him laughing crazily. Clay kept preoccupied with Chase Young. This was the first time he ever really did fight against him and he was losing.

"You need a little more work on your footing… Not to mention aiming," Chase Young said as he jumped off a tree.

Clay pulled onto his arm and swung him in the air, but it did not cause any harm to the Evil Lord. The cowboy struck him before letting him go, but Chase Young was much more clever. He used Clay's own attack against him, bending his arm in a strange way and formed an attack so much different than it was ever seen. As he bent his arm back, Clay shrieked in agony and jerked back with a lot of force.

Chase Young smirked. There, right next to a bush was the Dagger of Rock Jack Spicer probably dropped. He walked closely toward it and felt the coolness of the blade against his gloves. But there was something wrong… The dagger glowed and Chase Young had not realized that Megan was holding the Shen Gon Wu as well.

#

Kimiko appeared again from behind the building. With an extended arm and her hand touching the brick wall, she leaned against it. Her free hand was on her hip and she eyed Raimundo carefully.

"Be careful…" Kimiko taunted.

"Of what?"

The teenage girl laughed and took a good look at him. "I can't believe you would ask that when I've already kicked your butt!"

The Brazilian teenager shook his head. "Try me."

Kimiko smirked and prepared herself to step forward, but a bright light caught her attention. Raimundo turned to see what she was looking at and he, too, saw the bright light.

Both of them ran towards the entrance of the courtyard and found Chase Young touching the dagger.

"Megan?" Raimundo asked himself in shock.

"Don't do it, Megan!" Jack commanded.

_"You fool! You'll cost us a Shen Gon Wu! Accept the challenge, little girl!"_

_"She's just a kid,"_ Clay insisted.

"Then it will be an easy task," Chase Young said.

"W-well, then I'll fight alongside her!" Jack said and then widened his eyes as he realized what he just said. The others seemed surprised as well as they turned to face him. The evildoer shrugged. "Hey, she's family."

"Two against one and still the match up still seems unfair," Kimiko murmured.

"What does _that_ supposed to mean?" Jack shouted.

"It means that you'll still lose… and I agree," Wuya said.

"Then I fight with Jack and Megan," Raimundo said.

"This is ridiculous!" Chase Young said and turned to see Kimiko.

The Japanese girl stepped forward. "Then I'll join in as well."

Raimundo glanced at her for only a few seconds before giving Jack a look. "Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean we're friends."

Jack nodded. "I know, I know… But if we win, we keep the Wu!"

"Actually Jackie," Megan started. "You and I both know he'll do most of the work. He keeps it."

"Enough of this!" Chase Young shouted. "Accept my challenge, or not?"

"We accept your challenge," all three said at once.

"Let's go, Xiaolin Showdown!"

With the acceptances made, the environment didn't change much. There was stillness in the air that caused Omi and Clay to quiver with a mixture of excitement and unsteadiness.

"What's going on?" Wuya said in frustration.

"Um… Gon Yi Tan Pai?" Kimiko said and the Dagger of Rock disappeared from beneath the Evil Lord and the little girl's hands.

"What exactly was the challenge?" Jack asked.

Megan giggled and walked up to Kimiko and patted her leg gently. "Tag! You're it!" And took her cousin's hand, edging him on. "Come on, Jackie! Run!"

Kimiko's tunic had turned from black to a strange maroon color, signifying her title in the game. She was… _it_. And so was her master. He had a maroon colored headband across his forehead and all around his head. Kimiko nodded to her master and made her first move.

With quick speed, she ran toward the little girl. Megan screamed in horror as she saw the flames escape Kimiko's back.

Jack came out of nowhere and kicked her across the face. "Hey!" he shouted.

Kimiko stopped running after her and heaved. Chase looked at her from afar in a pleasant smile. He knew her anger was about to unfold…

Jack's heart sank as his eyes widened. "Oh no…"

The Dragon of Fire's whole body was enflamed and she extended her arm out towards Jack. "You'll pay for that…"

Raimundo saw the commotion and waved his arms in the air. "Don't just stand there, Jack! Run or something!"

Jack took Raimundo's words of advice and dashed off as he picked Megan into his arms. Kimiko then focused her attention toward the Dragon of Wind, but Young advised her to follow the other two as he took care of Raimundo.

Kimiko nodded and ran off to try to capture Megan. It was not Chase Young who stood face-to-face with Raimundo…

#

From afar, Dojo joined Minh. He edged her on to join him to escape Young's clutches, but refused time and time again.

"You have to trust me, Minh…"

"I do, but you're the one making a mistake… You shouldn't trust me!"

Dojo's eyes widened and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"With him, I can't fully control myself…"

Dojo moved toward her and insisted as he took hold of her shoulder, but she growled fiercely and pushed him away. "Enough, Dojo! I cannot be trusted!" A tear escaped her green eyes as she wriggled away.

#

"Why her?" Raimundo whispered into Chase's ear as he pinned him down. Chase Young didn't let him win, so he battled his way to push him off. As soon as Raimundo was pinned down, he laughed.

"Why not?" Raimundo struggled to push Chase Young off of him, but the Evil Lord pushed back his head. "She's strong enough, fast enough, and bright enough…" Chase Young then looked at her from afar and then back at Raimundo. His reptilian eyes met Raimundo's and he smiled. "…Not to mention, she makes good company…"

Raimundo grumbled and pushed him off with all his might. "Don't you dare say anything like that about her!"

Chase Young landed on his feet and laughed, causing the other monks to turn and see what they argued about.

"Give up, Raimundo," Chase Young said. "Kimiko belongs to me. She is my student and a very trusted ally… Besides, I get closer to her than you ever will."

Raimundo's rage filled him. "This is ridiculous! I'm not listening to you! How am I supposed to be sure that she will no longer come back to me—I mean us, us…"

The Brazilian boy felt a strong force against his back and he fell back. "You're too blind to see what's in front of you," Chase Young said as he approached Kimiko. She stood beside Raimundo's weakened body. "Your friend here will no longer go back to you, or your friends."

As he stepped away, he glanced back to see Jack Spicer on the ground. Beside him was Megan trying to coax him to stand and fight.

"Finish him…" Chase Young said.

Kimiko gasped and turned to see her master and then back at Raimundo. _Prove it, he said… Prove it, he wants you to prove it! _Kimiko kept thinking. She took a deep breath and jumped into the air. "Judollete flip, Fire!"

She came down in a large fireball. Omi and Clay closed their eyes to avoid seeing the horrible event. The collision was over within a few seconds. Kimiko stepped away and left an injured Raimundo on the ground.

Megan gasped and ran towards Wuya. She snatched the Energy Drainer from her hands and ran back to Kimiko.

"Leave him alone!" she screamed. "Energy Drainer!"

A greenish beam of energy came toward Kimiko and brought her down to her knees. She groaned in pain as she came to feeling sleepy and unable to move. Chase Young gasped and groaned as he walked toward Megan. The little girl's eyes widened and then pointed the green haze toward him. Within seconds, the showdown was over and the Dagger of Rock was now in Megan's small hands.

Wuya stepped toward her and patted her back. "I underestimated you, kid… You make a better partner than jack…"

Jack, still on the ground, raised his finger. "That is not cool!"

"Raimundo! Are you alright?" Omi asked as he approached him. He and Clay helped him stand.

The Dragon of Wind's knees shook uncontrollably. His tunic was scorched and there were several bruises on his face and arms. "I can't tell…"

"Easy, partner," Clay insisted.

They all turned to see that Kimiko and Chase have regained some of their strength. The Evil Lord assisted Kimiko to stand as he took her into his arms. Suddenly, Chase Young embraced her into his arms and kissed her head gently. He then looked up to see Raimundo and smirked.

Omi noticed Raimundo's fists clench. "Please, Raimundo… Let them be."

Minh was called upon and she morphed herself into the giant reptile that she was. She flew both Kimiko and Chase Young out of the area and disappeared in the clouds.

Raimundo, still feeling quite weak, fell into his knees and sighed.

Omi placed a hand on Raimundo's shoulder. "What ever happened, I assure you it was not our fault. She was the one who made the decision."

"Yeah, I know that..."

"Then why exactly are you sad 'bout stuff ye already know?"

Raimundo groaned as he recalled what had happened only a few days ago. "Let's just say things just got personal with our former best friend Kimiko."

Omi and Clay looked at each other dumbfounded and then back at their leader.

"What are ye sayin'?"

Raimundo looked up to see Clay as he got up from the floor. "What I'm saying is that perhaps hope is truly lost. Kimiko drank the Lao Mang Long Soup and now the only relationship we can ever have with her is that one between enemies."

Clay and Omi looked at each other. They understood their situation and for some time, they already knew that the effects of the Lao Mang Long Soup were not irreversible.

The cowboy looked down at the Shoku Leader and noticed the anguish in his eyes. He knew that his sadness was not only because of losing Kimiko, but it was also of young love.

Omi sighed. "I must find Master Fung."

"I'll go with ya', lil' partner," Clay said. "Ya comin'?"

Raimundo shook his head as he looked up at the large cowboy. "Nah… I'll go inside later."

Clay nodded and walked away with Omi. Raimundo looked down at the ground and sighed.

* * *

**Answer some questions for me, please! :)**

**1. Kimiko and Chase Young parts... What did you think?**

**2. What did you think of Chase Young and Raimundo's confrontations? **

**3. What did you think of Megan's involvement in the Showdown?**

**4. ChaseXkim VS raiXkim... Which one are you going for?**


	32. Master and Student

_Please excuse any grammatical errors._

_Thank you all for your kind reviews and compliments! They definitely keep me going!_

* * *

Ch. 32

**Kimiko's P.O.V**

I fluttered my eyes open and came to realize Chase Young was the one who had awakened me. My head was on his lap and I definitely felt like I was no longer in my world.

Hannibal Roy Bean was dragging his heavy body around as if pacing to and fro. Chase Young looked down and realized I had awakened.

"I need my space," I murmured.

He nodded and helped me sit up. I was on the floor of his palace and I couldn't remember much more than a hug and kiss on my head… A kiss? Oh, gosh…

"Is she alright?" Hannibal asked as if he forgotten I was even in the room.

"She will be… She should be…"

"I'm fine," I assured them both. The world seemed to move the more I did, so I stayed put and closed my eyes tightly. "At least, I think I am…"

"Do you remember what happened?" Chase asked. His voice seemed further away as he spoke.

"Not after the k—" I hesitated and looked up to see him and the Bean Creature.

Hannibal looked too interested in the topic and he approached me. "After the what?" he asked. He was a sly thing, and I couldn't bare his presence.

Chase's eyes widened as he looked at me as if he was telling me to keep it all a secret.

"…the kick," I finally said.

"The kick?" Hannibal asked and turned to face my master.

"I accidently kicked her… Did I not tell you?" Chase said.

The giant Bean shook his head and looked at him in a skeptical matter.

"Leave, Hannibal, I must speak to Kimiko alone."

I felt my heart race, and he must have noticed because he turned to see me and smiled devilishly. There was something about him that made me afraid, or excited, or both all at once. It was a strange feeling that I've only felt with Raimundo…

Raimundo. No, I can't afford to think of him or any of the Xiaolin Monks, even if I was once on their side. He was my friend and nothing else… He's now my enemy and I plan to keep it that way for Chase… Wait, what? For Chase? Why on earth for Chase? Being who I am now was my decision and my decision only… Ugh! These thoughts are making my headache worsen.

I kept my eyes on the floor as I listened to Young's footsteps and Hannibal's heavy body dragging across the floor. The door closed and I now realized I was definitely alone in this chamber with Chase.

"I am surprised that you didn't fall back on your word as you've done so in the past…" Chase Young said.

I kept my head low and my eyes on the floor. "I never promised anything."

Chase laughed. "You wanted to defeat them and you had defeated one."

I shook my head. "Only one."

I sensed him coming closer to me although his footsteps were quite silent. His armor made that annoying sound when he walked in a quiet room. I felt him closer to me and he knelt beside me.

My quivering made him chuckle and I tried to ignore his arm beginning to wrap around me. His cheek now against mine startled me.

"Usually those that are evil, or at least are at my level speak the truth to cause the other humiliation. What stopped you?"

My eyes widened and I had come to realize that the kiss was not a mistake. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," his voice was stern.

"I, uh, I…"

I couldn't find the right words. What do I say to a man who was meant to be my enemy and was suddenly turned to my biggest ally and master?

Chase Young laughed at my stupidity. "It's fine Kimiko… You don't have to answer me. You're conflicted and I can see it. But I thank you for that."

He patted my shoulder and then moved away from me. I looked down for only a few seconds and then got up from the floor. Although I was still dizzy, I still had enough strength to stand and walk.

His back was turned to me and I suddenly wasn't thinking straight. But I approached him, took his arm and pulled him close to me. I gently kissed his cheek. As I parted, I looked at his green, reptilian eyes and came to say, "I'll see you later, Master…" And I walked away. I didn't have to physically see him to know that he was smiling.

#

All of this happened. All. Of. It. And I didn't know it happened until I sat on my bed in my bedroom and replayed it all in my head with the Heilyn Memory Recall magic that Chase had taught me only recently. I felt weird. I felt stupid. I felt wrong… But everything was wrong. Am I going soft? I shook my head before returning my eyes to face the green haze before me.

Raimundo appeared helpless on the ground. And I made him much more weaker as I collided against him with my own strengths and powers.

With a swift movement with my hand, I made it all go away.

I fell back on my bed and covered my face with my pillow and just screamed into it.

What am I thinking? The problem is that I wasn't thinking.

What am I feeling? _Goodness, Kimiko_, I thought to myself. _You're sticking with the Heilyn Warrior._

#

**3****rd**** P.O.V**

Megan paraded around the basement with the dagger. Wuya had her hands on her hips as she watched the little girl walk in circles around her hurt cousin.

"I won! I won! I won!"

Wuya laughed. "You have potential. With a bit more training you'll turn out as evil as me."

Megan stopped in her tracks and looked at Wuya. "Hopefully not as ugly."

Wuya groaned and rolled her eyes as she looked down at Spicer. "Get off the floor, Jack."

Jack dragged himself on the floor for a while before reaching the table and taking hold of the edge. He groaned in pain as she examined the swelling of his cheek with his hands.

"Way to go, Megan!" Jack cheered and fell back down on the floor.

"Yes… You defeated both Chase Young and his new ally," Wuya remarked.

"Well it was nothing…" Megan said as she placed a finger on her chin and smiled. "What do we do with these things? Collect them and then what?"

Wuya smiled and walked toward her. She knelt down to meet her eyes and pulled her close to her, pressing her against her cheek as she created illusions before her eyes. The figures demonstrated explained her plans. "We collect them and use them against the monks and the others. Then it'll be world domination!"

Megan's eyes sparkled at the sound of it all. She was as greedy as Jack, but still seen as incapable of causing such destruction. "Then what?"

"What do you mean 'then what'?" Wuya said as she let her go. "We rule the world and that is all."

Megan shook her head. "But won't it be boring to just sit around and watch a whole bunch of buildings burn?"

"She's got you there, Wuya…" Jack said from the floor.

"Then what's fun for you?" Wuya asked.

"No!" Jack screamed. "No!"

#

Wuya was sitting on a small stool in a tight, pink dress and purple bows. A beaten-up Jack Spicer was beside her. His teeth were broken, his cheek was completely swollen and bruised, and his hands were trembling as he pulled out a tiny teacup from the saucer and extended it toward Megan. She poured her invisible tea into Jack's cup and offered some to Wuya. The Heilyn Witch extended her arm toward the little girl with the tiny cup in her hand. Megan gladly poured some of her invisible tea into it.

"I leave the palace of Chase Young for this…" Wuya said as she placed her head on her hand.

#

Omi was holding both the Ying Yo-Yo and the Yang Yo-Yo in his small hands. Clay kept asking him to put both Shen Gon Wu away, but he decided not to.

Raimundo and the others were nowhere to be seen and had no idea of the plan Omi was about to bring forward.

"Are ya sure this is a right thing to do?" Clay asked.

"The least we could do is this. We must not give up on Kimiko."

Dojo had the Golden Tiger claws in his small claws. "Now, I took these from Guan's vault. Clay and I'll go to Chase Young's palace to get Minh and you go and get what ever it is you're getting." Dojo raised a hand. "Oh! And here's the Sphere of Yun, just like you requested…"

"I thought you only went to get the yo-yo's and the Golden Tiger Claws?"

Dojo giggled and looked at both monks. "I, uh, sort of hid this one just in case…"

"Alright, now good luck to ye'!" Clay said as he summoned the power of the Tiger Claws and jumped right in with Dojo.

"Ying-Yang Yo-Yo!" Omi shouted and disappeared in the strange, two-dimensional tunnel.

#

Dojo found Minh resting from afar. She was near the pool and the jungle cats were nowhere to be seen.

"Psst! Pssst!" Dojo whispered.

Minh opened one eye and looked at him in astonishment. "Dojo? What are you-"

"Come with me if you want to live!" Dojo said.

"Dojo, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, forget it… Minh, please. Come with me!"

"Dojo, I… I don't know…"

"Hurry, lil' partner!" Clay whispered. "I hear someone coming!"

"Minh, I know you're always telling me no, but I assure you that this will be the better decision!"

Minh looked toward the hallway and came to notice Chase Young's figure lurking in the darkness. She sighed and jumped next to Dojo. "Fine… but don't say I didn't warn you."

Clay summoned the power of the Golden Tiger Claws for a second time and all three disappeared.

It was only a matter of time that Chase Young came along and looked near the pool. He knew what had happened and had not worried. The Scale was in his hand.

#

Omi looked around at the illusions before his eyes and immediately sensed the Chi Creature behind him. He closed his eyes and jumped backwards. Extending his arm out, he could feel the strange crown around the Creature's head and retrieved it, hoping the Chi Creature would speak to Omi the way it had spoken to Raimundo.

"You're one of them…" a low, gruff voice had spoken.

"Yes… It is I-"

"Omi, I know. I know everyone."

"Then you will know why I have come."

"Releasing me into the world won't save anyone."

Omi looked at the Creature. "But you'll have only one victim."

The Chi Creature laughed gruffly. "Your friend is lost. Understand that, boy… Her Chi can only be balanced by her own will."

"Then how will she achieve it?"

"I won't repeat myself."

Omi raised an eyebrow. "I am certain that her Chi will be of great value to you."

The Chi Creature lowered its head to meet Omi's eyes. "If I am to take it, I'll never give it back."

"But you will…"

"But I won't."

Omi groaned and looked down at the crown. He was ready to give up, but then looked at the Creature. "What if I gave myself up for her Chi?"

The Creature laughed. "Don't be foolish, boy… Your Chi has no value to me."

"Then what else do you want?"

"I ask for nothing more than her Chi. But I have already said your plans will fail."

"The least we could do is try."

The Creature sniffed his body and then looked back at him. "You're brave enough to embark in such a mission. I'll accept your offer, Omi. Your Chi for hers once I have taken it."

Omi nodded and looked back at the crown. "I'll return it to you once you've accomplished your side of the deal."

#

Kimiko was summoned to the throne room. She found Chase Young pacing back and forth. He seemed uneasy and he came toward her.

"They took Minh."

"Who?" she asked.

"The monks."

Kimiko looked around and back at Chase. Her mind was still pending on her kiss to him, but she had to try to forget it. It was strange for her to feel a bond between them both, but it was there. She placed her hand gently on his chest and looked at him with kind eyes that only seemed to belong to him.

"We'll get her back no matter what."

#

Dojo and Minh landed on the mountaintops. They were close enough to the Xiaolin Temple in case they needed any help, but far away enough to not cause an attraction.

"There's a tent right there behind the bushes." Clay said as he pointed to the left.

"He'll summon me…" Minh said gently.

"We'll make sure we get the Scale back."

"But we're linked."

Dojo and Clay looked at each other in a skeptical way.

"We'll find a way… We always find a way."

"I'll leave ya two here… Call if ya need anything… Golden Tiger Claws!"

Clay was gone and both dragons were left alone.

#

Clay and Omi returned at the same time. Master Fung looked upset, but somewhat proud of their plans.

The Chi Creature was standing behind Omi and didn't make much of a sound or any movement. Raimundo waved at the Creature, but again, there was no movement or sound. Master Fung felt uneasy, but could not doubt Omi's plans (although some of them were not as wise as Omi would think).

Omi did not explain his plans about sacrificing himself for Kimiko, but he only explained what the Creature would do for them.

They agreed and left to prepare a meal.

Omi was left behind with the Creature.

"Telling them nothing is not at all wise, young one."

Omi sighed. "Yes, but it is for the best…" He sighed as he looked at the Creature and then took out the Sphere of Yun. "For extra protection purposes…" he said with a smile.

The tall, black creature gave off a light grumble, but understood very well. The power of the Sphere of Yun was summoned and the Creature was incased in the durable glass.

* * *

**It might take me a while to update, so please be patient!**


	33. Tense

_Please excuse any grammatical errors. I'll fix them as soon as I can._

_**NOTE.**_

_**I am sorry it took me so long to get this done! I've been so busy for the last two weeks with school and all. Okay, so I know I have this as a Children's rating, but I might end up changing it to a Teens rating only because there are some tense things going on now that a lot of people had come to vote for more Chase X Kim moments. Don't worry! It's not so... so intense in ways that would make you stop reading. Think of this more of a teen drama. Anyway, thank you guys for your awesome reviews! **_

* * *

Ch. 33

Chase Young had tried to call upon Minh several times. There was no response from her. Dojo had tried to coax Minh to resist Chase Young's summoning and she did. She was trapped. She felt torn because she knew it was wrong to abandon her master, but it was also wrong to do what me makes her do. What else could she do?

Kimiko had backed away from her master for a while. Two days since the weird approach had come to pass. Young didn't quite talk to her. Their meals were taken separately and training was taken over by Hannibal Roy Bean and the Fallen Warriors. The former Xiaolin Monk had become confused. She was confused about whom she was and what she had done to be where she is now. It was a strange thing to feel for someone who has been in the world forever. Kimiko did not feel love, but did feel the need to be there with him. It was confusion.

The Xiaolin Monks were constantly training. The elder monk had also come to realize why the Chi Creature was here. It was not only to get to Kimiko, but it was here for another reason as well. The Creature stayed in the Sphere of Yun for these two days as the others plotted. Every now and then, the Creature was let out from the Sphere to stretch its muscles. It claims that its only consumption can ever be Chi and then bring it back out into a bottle for safekeeping.

#

"We must prepare another attack against the monks," Wuya had come to say. "I think your little cousin could be a great advantage. All I need is for her to be taught how to use the Wu."

"_No way, sister!_ I am not putting Megan into danger." Jack Spicer said this as he looked down to see Megan sleeping on a large cushion on the floor.

Wuya crossed her arms and quirked up a thin eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous, Jack. You and I both know that she means less than your World Domination plans."

Jack shook his head. "Not this time. I get paid to watch her! All my money goes for my bots!"

_"Pathetic…"_

"We'll go attack the monks and force them to tell us where the Wu is. We don't need Megan."

"She's coming with us, Jack. She may be five, but she fights a whole lot better than you… And how old are you again? – Oh, yes… Almost seventeen."

Jack crossed his arms and turned his back to the Heilyn Witch. "Fine. But she'll be out last resort if things go bad."

#

"Moby Morpher!" Hannibal shouted. When he landed on the floor he wiped the sweat above his brow and turned away from Kimiko with dissatisfaction.

_"What?"_ Kimiko snapped as she breathed heavily to catch her breath. _"Not good enough?"_

Hannibal muttered. "Maybe you could do better."

Kimiko snapped the wooden rod in half and dropped the objects on the floor in anger. _"What?"_

The Bean Creature turned around to face the angered teenager. His tentacles wiggled about in front of him as he spoke to her. "I don't see why Chase Young chose you to be his ally if all you do is fail."

"Fail? Ha! That is the last thing I'll ever come to do!"

"You've grown soft."

_"I'll show you soft!"_

Kimiko's threats died out as she heard Chase Young's angered voce echo throughout the training chamber.

_"Enough!"_

Both evildoers turned around to see Chase Young appear from the darkness of the shadows. The Evil Lord had both hands behind his back as he walked toward the others. He kept his eyes focused on the floor.

Hannibal looked at Kimiko and then back at her master and noticed the unsettlement between them. The teenage girl looked away from both Hannibal and Chase.

"I don't want to know what it was you two were fighting about," Chase started, "But what I do know is that you two better _pipe down_!"

"So by the frustration in yer tone of voice, Minh ain't back yet?" Hannibal asked.

"If she was, don't you think you would have seen her?" Kimiko said in frustration as she rolled her eyes.

Hannibal groaned at her.

"We need to get her back."

"Or what?" Hannibal asked.

"The worst can happen if she's in _their_ hands now."

"Who exactly?"

"The monks!" Kimiko exclaimed.

Chase Young looked up to see Kimiko holding a clenched fist against Hannibal as the Creature held his pointy tentacles against the shorter girl.

"Enough! _Enough!_" Chase exclaimed.

Kimiko held back her threats as she turned her back away from her master.

"We will pay the monks a visit. Now prepare yourselves…"

Hannibal dragged his heavy body away from them as Kimiko stayed behind. Chase Young looked at the girl with solemn eyes. She didn't want to turn around to see him, so she started to make her way toward the hallway.

"Wait," his low voice said gently.

Kimiko did stop only a small distance away from him. Chase Young couldn't find the right words to say.

"Is there anything you want to say?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Then what?"

"Let me think…"

_"Then think…"_

_"Just let me think!"_

It was that tension that had pulled them together and then pulled them apart again. The relationship between Master and Student had become stranger and much more intense than before. Kimiko felt confused. Chase Young felt confused… They were torn.

Chase Young sighed. "I am sorry if I am being too distant."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You are my teacher and I am your student. This relationship is the only thing that must be."

"But there's more."

Kimiko smirked and shook her head. "There couldn't be more."

Chase Young looked down. "In all my years of living I've never encountered a girl that could challenge me the way you do."

Kimiko tried to drown out his voice and his words. She closed her eyes as her back remained away from him. But when she did open her eyes, Chase Young was now standing before her. His eyes were cold, but pleasant to look into… That's what his eyes do… They mesmerize… They are like the eyes of a serpent that just hypnotizes its prey.

"Be aware that everything you've done to yourself, to the others, and to me were all your decisions. Keep your mind open, Kimiko."

"My eyes and mind are always open."

"Your heart? And your heart?"

Kimiko looked into his eyes and repelled the trance she falls into whenever she looks into them. "Never."

"Never?"

Kimiko passed her saliva with force and breathed in deeply. "Never." She then walked away from him, closer to the door. She wanted to leave fast enough before he could tell her something else.

"Raimundo," he said silently.

Kimiko, again, stopped before she reached the doorway.

Chase Young had his back turned and she did as well. It didn't take him long to realize that she did stop. She was afraid. He sensed her fear just like she sensed his power and fear. Fear evokes more power. It is dangerous and Kimiko had come to realize this when he talked.

"Raimundo… Did you ever open your heart to him?" Right there. There was fear in the tone of his voice.

Kimiko took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She did not speak. She couldn't speak.

"It's fine, you don't have to answer me. I know." Chase Young sighed. "You can prepare yourself now."

Kimiko walked slowly away and left Chase Young in the chamber alone. He looked up to see the ceiling and then the walls. His jungle cats had emerged from the darkest shadows. They were in holes that were dug into the walls to create separate dens for each one.

"Prepare yourselves, fellow warriors…." He said.

* * *

**Thank you for being patient with me! The next chapter will come as soon as possible! :) Tell me what you think!**


	34. A Darker Side of Kimiko

Please excuse any grammatical errors. I'll come back to them as soon as I can!

**NOTE**

_**Thanks to all of my readers for your patience. This one's a bit short, but it's better to have something done for the week, right? Anyway, I hope you like this one. I'm getting to work on the next chapter really soon. Like, I've already started, kind of soon. **_

* * *

Ch. 34

The earth cracked beneath Clay's feet, catching him off guard. The other monks tried to defend themselves from Wuya's attacks with the Energy Drainer. Many times had she attacked Omi, causing him to fall tired. The Chi Creature was out in the open. Its presence intrigued Wuya, although she could not underestimate the monks.

Megan and Jack attacked Clay over and over with the dagger, but it didn't do much harm against the large cowboy. It was Earth against Earth and Clay knew exactly where to go whenever a giant spike poked from the earth, or an chunk of rock came flying towards him.

"Hold yer attacks, Spicer… I don't wanna hurt yer cousin."

Jack only laughed at his warning. "Is that a threat?"

Clay stopped himself from his next attack. "Of course not! I won't hurt her, but I will sure hurt you if ya don't leave!"

"Dagger of Rock!" Jack came to screech and he planted the dagger into the ground. An earthquake began to take place, making the others lose their balance.

_"What's happening?"_ Raimundo shouted as the shingles of the buildings began to roll down.

"Master Fung won't be happy about that…" Clay remarked.

"I read in the scrolls that the Dagger of Rock is most powerful with whatever emotion you express…" Omi said.

_"And so…?"_ Raimundo came to say.

"It all depends on the state of mind of the beholder."

"Sweet," Jack said in enlightenment.

Megan jumped forward to snatch the Wu from Jack. "My turn, Jackie…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jack shouted.

"Actually, Jack, this can only be an improvement to this battle!" Wuya shouted.

Jack groaned as the little girl made her stand. "Dagger of Rock!" she squealed and harnessed the power with a small rock nearby.

Nothing happened.

"Or, of course, you can get the job done, Jack," Wuya muttered.

But the rocks surrounding the monks suddenly began to move. One by one in rapid motion, they stoned the monks, causing them to fall back.

And then there was a stillness of the attacks that caused everyone to drop their jaws. The rocks had come to hover all around them. The attack ceased.

"Well this isn't a surprise…" Kimiko's voice chimed with the flow of the breeze.

The rocks fell onto the ground as everyone turned to face the teenage girl with the Evil Lord and the Bean Creature.

"My, my, Wuya… You lowered your standards to an idiot and a mere child."

Chase Young's voice didn't alarm the Heilyn Witch this time. She just shrugged and looked at him with a sly smile.

"Speak for yourself. Your dragon is gone."

Chase Young snarled and looked at Hannibal and Kimiko.

"Ring of the Nine Dragons!" he shouted as he placed the golden ring around his tentacle, multiplying him into three.

Kimiko shrugged and prepared herself to attack Wuya and the monks. Jack Spicer called for his Jack-Bots.

Before any other attacks were made, Kimiko focused her eyes on the child that carried the Dagger of Rock. When Spicer came to realize it, he gasped and picked her up.

The monks targeted the robots, Chase Young, and Hannibal. No one quite paid great attention to Kimiko, who had her eyes set on the self-proclaimed Evil Boy Genius and his little cousin.

Megan and Jack ran toward the inside of the temple.

"Run, Jackie!"

"I'm running! I'm running!"

Kimiko grumbled under her breath as she unleashed a long ribbon of fire toward Spicer's butt. He screamed out in pain as Kimiko laughed and kicked him away. She proceeded her pursuit for the child.

#

Chase Young had come face-to-face with Omi for the second time this year. The small monk had learned to keep away from his gaze as best as possible. His best chances to defeat Young is to plunge sneak attacks. He was unsuccessful. The small monk was underneath the more experienced warrior's foot.

"Where is she?"

"Kimiko?" Omi asked with a dumbfounded expression.

_"No! Where's Minh?"_

"My lips are tightened!" Omi exclaimed as Chase Young applied more pressure onto his chest.

"You mean 'sealed'!" Raimundo shouted from afar.

Omi gripped the Evil Lord's ankle and maneuvered his hands toward the left, twisting his leg and bringing the young man down onto the ground. The young boy had come off the ground and was now on the other side of the foot.

Clay had his rounds with Hannibal Roy Bean. The large creature had become aware of the Chi Creature and his eyes widened with both surprise and fear.

"What's that doin' here?" Hannibal gruffly spoke.

Clay took a large swing at the guy with his right fist, but missed, hitting the hard earth instead. "None of yer business!"

"You ain't tryin' to send me back into the Ying-Yang World, eh?"

Clay's eyes widened. "Not, exactly, but there's a thought!"

On the far end, over the clutter of defeated robots, Raimundo attacked Wuya repeatedly with his attacks.

The Heilyn Witch picked up metallic objects from the remains of Jack's robots and flung them toward the Shoku Leader. Raimundo wasted no time dodging the attacks and using his Wind powers to repel them.

"Interesting… You've definitely grown stronger."

"Your sweet talk won't get me to back down, lady!"

"Sweet talk?" Wuya laughed as she held the Energy Drainer in her palm. "Dear, boy, you have fought against me for such a long time, but even so, you know nothing about me."

Raimundo groaned and aimed his gaze toward the green gem in her hand.

Wuya noticed and only laughed. "Looking at this, Rai? Cease your attacks and it's yours… All I ask is for the rest of the Shen Gon Wu!"

"One for many? Nuh-uh… Don't think so."

Wuya smirked and summoned the power of her Wu. Raimundo dodged the green energy, but was not careful to see where he was going. In a matter of seconds, the Brazilian teenage boy slammed face first against a tree. This action caused Wuya to laugh uncontrollably and the others to cease their fighting. They, too, laughed.

Raimundo got back to his feet, groaning and blushing in embarrassment.

#

"Dagger of Ro-" the young girl's summoning had come to an end. The former Xiaolin Girl now had her in a strong grip.

"Not today, kid," Kimiko aggressively said. She took the dagger into her hand as she dragged the screaming girl further near the temple.

Jack Spicer's screams caught the attention of every single person. Even Chase Young halted his attacks against Omi. All of them ran toward the distressed boy on the ground. Smoke was still steaming from his rear, but that was not his reason to be frantic.

"What on earth are ya yellin' 'bout, Spicer?" Clay demanded.

He pointed with a shaky hand toward the roof of the temple and everyone was surprised to see Kimiko holding onto Megan by the sleeve of her shirt.

"Oh, no…" Raimundo said under his breath.

Chase Young only laughed and approached the girl. But even though she was doing evil business, something Chase Young really loved to see, it was all too extreme. Even he wouldn't waste his time frightening a little girl.

"Interesting work, Kimiko, but I think it is a waste of time," Chase Young shouted.

Kimiko shrugged and smirked. "Yeah, but not exactly. I like to have fun, too, you know."

Raimundo groaned. He was annoyed to see the bond between Kimiko and Chase Young. The teenager was more frustrated to see that here was no breaking into Kimiko's head to let her see she wasn't evil. She was good. _She is good_.

Clay pulled Omi away from the others and silently said to him, "I think now is the best time to release the Chi Creature."

Omi looked up to see his former friend raise the child higher and higher into the air toward the edge of the roof.

"I think so, too."

* * *

Whoo! Okay, so, one question for all of you: **How are you liking Kimiko's dark side compared to Chase Young?**


	35. The Loss of an Ally

**Please excuse any grammatical errors. I'll come back to them as soon as I possibly can!**

* * *

Ch. 35

"Put the child down!" Chase Young demanded. The Fire Girl did not want to listen to her master. She nearly teased the crying girl a few times by swinging her toward the edge of the roof.

Hannibal Roy Bean dragged his heavy body toward the Evil Lord. "This is what you wanted to see in the girl, now let her do what she wants!"

Chase Young shook his head and closed his eyes. "We were supposed to be allies in World Domination. Spending her time to scar a child is something that must not be!"

Hannibal only laughed and came to say, "Don't be ridiculous, Young."

#

"This has gone too far!" Raimundo said as he swiftly maneuvered his hand across the air. He looked at Chase Young and pulled his arm to make the man face the Shoku Warrior. "Yo! Do something! Even you wouldn't hurt a little girl!"

Chase Young's eyes remained closed and his head low. But this was not a sign of defeat. "My student, Raimundo. Do what you wish. It is easy to see that I've no control of the evil within her."

Raimundo snarled, but Clay stopped him as he pulled him aside. "Easy… The lil' partner's gonna round up the Chi Creature."

Raimundo's expression softened as he felt tears ready to emerge. He looked up to see the young girl he used to talk to and knew what was to come.

#

"Sphere of Yun!" Omi shouted as the Shen Gon Wu glowed immensely. "Chi Creature, I believe it is time for you to do your side of the bargain."

"Where is she?"

#

"Dojo, I believe something wrong is happening…" Minh gently spoke as she struggled to stand. The forces Chase Young came to use to summon her had weakened the poor little dragon. She sat by Dojo, who was almost as exhausted as she was.

"What do you mean?"

Minh closed her eyes. "I see them… Chase Young is connecting with my mind and I see Kimiko on the roof of the temple!" She paused for a second and then gasped, causing Dojo to jump from the log where they sat. "She's a big threat, dear Dojo!"

The green dragon skeptically looked at his dragon friend. "I don't understand…"

"She has a girl in her hand and is preparing herself to throw her over!"

Dojo shook his head. "Megan?"

Minh groaned and ran her claws down to her stomach. "Oh… Ow," she whispered to herself.

Dojo looked at her with sad eyes. He was aware that he must not touch her. Only previously she almost burned him alive because of the intense pain she felt separating herself from her true master.

"What's wrong?"

_"Oh no!"_ Minh gasped.

"What? _What!_"

"Chase Young… He's… located us."

#

Hannibal looked at Chase Young grinning to himself. He had noticed the beam on his expression one too many times after he was awarded victory.

"Stay here with the girl."

"Where are ya goin'?" Hannibal asked as he turned to face the man.

"I'm going Dragon Hunting."

The Evil Lord walked away, causing suspicion from Raimundo and Clay, but even that didn't make them move. They wanted to be there for the girl who used to be their friend. They wanted to see no matter how hard it could be, the Chi Creature remove her of the girl's Chi.

And it was happening. There was a loud shrill that caught everyone by surprise. Kimiko felt goose bumps running down her spine, but she kept her guard up against the little girl and the noises only the wind seemed to make.

"What's happening?" Megan merely whispered.

Kimiko closed her eyes and deeply smelled the air. She caught a strange, unfamiliar scent, growing stronger and stronger the more she concentrated. _There is something there,_ she thought to herself, _but where?_

And suddenly there was a shriek of an animal behind her. The girl screamed violently and still contained the girl in her arms as she leapt toward the left side of the roof. She landed in an _oomph _but was fine.

Megan screamed and Kimiko would hush her by placing a hand firmly against the girl's mouth.

"Last warning, kid, or else I throw you."

There was silence. The thing that was now attacking her was completely invisible and she had no other way to hear it. All she could do was smell the strange scent in the air, but even so, that sense was not all as powerful as her eyesight was.

With swift movement, she held a hand into the air and gestured forward, creating a cloud of fire, but then absorbed the radiant energy back into her palm. A large cloud of smoke came toward a particular part. There, she took a deep breath and with the little Heilyn Magic she had within her, caused a small gust of wind, sending the cloud of smoke against a hard object that was yet to be seen.

"Bingo," she whispered to herself. "Wudai Mars, Fire!"

The fire struck the Chi Creature into becoming visible for the Fire Girl. Megan slipped from Kimiko's arms and grabbed onto her sleeve for support. Kimiko groaned and shook her head.

"Help me!" the child screamed.

Spicer's screams were heard not too far from the scene.

Kimiko pushed her away, causing the child to tumble down the steep slope of the roof. Raimundo acted fast and summoned the power of his element, lifting the child from danger and making her land into his arms.

"I got you!" he gently said.

Megan ran towards Jack. The Evil Boy Genius cried tears of joy as he hugged her. "Oh, Megan!"

"Jackie!" Megan screeched. "I want to go home!"

Jack agreed and turned on his Helibot. The Goth and his bubbly cousin were on their way, leaving Wuya annoyed and once again, without an ally.

#

Minh and Dojo were hiding behind a bush. Chase Young's scent was becoming stronger and the green dragon was shaking uncontrollably with fear. But every now and then when Minh turned to see him, he faintly looked forward, Chest out and tightened, hand saluting him. He tried to show her that he was completely ready and unafraid of what can happen.

"There's no point in hiding. I'll still find you."

Minh felt her small heart beating faster and faster. She knew that this would only draw more attention from the Evil Lord, so she took deep breaths.

From afar, Chase Young closed his eyes and joined his hands together closely by the abdomen. And he focused for a very long time before turning swiftly and kicking the nearest bush. Behind the broken shrubbery, Dojo and Minh screamed in terror, hugging one another for support.

Chase Young smiled devilishly as he walked toward both dragons. "There you are."

"Please," Minh said as she raised her small arms in the air. "Don't make me do what I don't want to."

Chase Young's expression softened as he looked at the little dragon. He took the Scale of the Serpent out from behind him and with all his might he broke the thing in half. The amazed pink dragon only shed a tear of happiness because this was the greatest thing that could ever happen to her since she was enslaved by the man's evil.

"Hold on, hold on…" Dojo said as he put his claws out. "Why? I mean, it's good and all that you did that, but why?"

Chase Young sighed as he looked down at the little dragon he had as a friend in a past life. "There's no point in pursuing someone that won't come back to you willingly. Go back to Guan, Minh. It is clear that he is your true master."

Ming slithered up his leg and around his waist. She gently licked his cheek and smiled. "I always knew there was not so much evil within you, my friend."

Those last words before both dragons flew away to safety only caused Chase Young to gently blush at his actions. But even if he knew what he had come to do, he is who he is and he'll always be that: The Evil Lord.

#

Kimiko dodged the attacks of the Chi Creature several times before being pinned down by the large thing.

"Get off of me!" she screamed as she struggled to free herself from its grip.

"Sorry, Kimiko! But this is for your own good!" Omi shouted from the temple grounds.

Kimiko kicked hard, but the Creature resisted her attacks as its tongue began to make its way to her ear. The teenager cringed in disgust as the Chi Creature began to suck her Chi, but something stopped it and made it retract back. Kimiko laughed as she wiped away the sticky spit from her ear and cheek.

"Something's not right," Clay said.

Hannibal turned to see them both and laughed. "You twits know nothin' 'bout what Young's creations!"

The Bean Creature turned to see Chase Young walking toward the temple and called upon his bird Ying-Ying to fly him out of the scene.

"What do you think he means?" Raimundo asked.

Omi watched the Creature come toward him and it bowed before him. "Her Chi is too powerful in this state. Even I could not drain her of it. There is some kind of magic protecting her from me…"

Omi nodded. "I see. Then I guess I must return the favor…"

The Creature shook its head. "No, young monk. You help your friend. Help is the only thing that can probably save her."

Omi nodded and retrieved the golden crown from his tunic. He placed it upon the Creature's head and bowed. "Ying-Yang Yo-Yo!" And the creature jumped into the strange portal that took it back home.

"What a nice feller," Clay said.

"Only when it wants to be," Raimundo added.

Kimiko jumped from the roof and was immediately confronted by Chase Young. The other monks just watched him approach her and her head immediately bowed, cowering her face from his sight.

"Your actions were disappointing."

"It didn't get my Chi."

"I wasn't talking about that, Kimiko…"

His words had Kimiko raise an eyebrow in confusion, but she began to recollect the memory of what she was planning to do with Megan.

"Oh…" she merely whispered. "But it's not like I was going to throw her from the roof!"

"Your actions are still inexcusable. I told you to cease the tormenting of the girl, but you still continued."

Kimiko shook her head. "What's done is done."

"No… You're not completely done for today," Chase Young said quietly as he encircled the girl, ignoring the prying eyes of the other three monks.

"What do you want me to do this time?"

"I want you to take your pick of one of the monks. Challenge him… _and then finish him_."

Kimiko set her eyes on Raimundo for only a few seconds. A wave of thoughts collided within her mind. What else has he done besides pleading her to come back to them? Nothing much… And Clay? Nothing… He has nothing more against Kimiko besides bringing her back. His intentions are similar to Raimundo's. Omi… Well, he plans to do the same as the other two, but what else of him? Oh, yes… The Chi Creature...

"Alright, I made my decision," Kimiko said coldly.

The monks knew this was beginning to take its course. She watched every single one of them take their fighting stance the way they've done so in the past. Kimiko was full of rage against the small monk that eyed her carefully. Perhaps he knew her plans.

Kimiko took out the Dagger of Rock and called its name, combining the Earth element with that of Fire.

"Dagger of Rock, Fire!"

Immediately the earth beneath Clay and Raimundo on the far left of Omi was beginning to rumble. They felt intense heat beneath their feet and it caused them to flee the area and seek safety on the tallest tree. Omi's eyes widened as he came to see the earth splitting and magma flowing. Yes, Kimiko is dangerous and she must be stopped. But how?

Omi closed his eyes to summon his inner Chi. The strange nine circles on his forehead began to mark his complete concentration. He breathed in deeply and set his eyes on Kimiko who was standing across from him with dark red eyes, a smile across her face, and messy black hair.

"Do it now," Chase gently said and Kimiko ran toward the boy with great speed.

Omi shouted his battle cry as he felt the earth rumble again. The effects of the Shen Gon Wu were luckily temporary. The cracked surface began to form as it was just minutes before Kimiko's attack.

Clay and Raimundo watched the new fight take place before their eyes. Their thoughts were on both warriors facing off, as well as the whereabouts of their reptilian friends and master.

"Fire!" Kimiko screamed and a large ball of fire came straight toward the Dragon of Water.

Omi dodged the attack as another ball of fire came straight to his head. The Dragon of Fire wrinkled her eyebrows as she scowled, hopeful that this time she wouldn't miss.

Omi summoned his powers and drained the nearby pond from its water to attack Kimiko.

Of course, the Heilyn Girl moved away, and ran toward the boy, filling the air with smoke as she did so before. Omi was blinded and unaware of where the girl had gone. His eyes watered from the reaction, and suddenly he was kicked behind his back.

"Ya' think it's a good time to intervene, partner?" Clay said as he adjusted his tan hat on his head.

"You bet!"

Both monks jumped forward and Kimiko manipulated the clouds of smoke toward both Shoku Warriors.

Clay blocked it with a wall of rock as Raimundo manipulated the air around them to cause a large gust of wind.

Kimiko shouted as the smoke came in contact with her eyes, making Chase Young shake his head. "If I must do everything, then I guess I will…"

The Evil Lord jumped in for Kimiko's rescue and repelled the attack, causing both the Dragon of Wind and Dragon of Earth to fall back together. Omi was still nearest to Kimiko and Chase Young was very aware of her target.

_"Wipe the dust from your eyes, Kimiko, and finish him!"_

The girl did wipe her eyes, but she suddenly felt annoyed of all his commands and felt trapped between good and bad.

She came to remember everything that had happened from the start of her separation of the group. Kimiko suddenly began to feel so much guilt inside of her, that her anger was completely contained and needed a way to drain out.

She maneuvered her arms outward and shielded herself from the others as well as her master in a dome of fire. She sat on the ground and breathed deeply, trying to process what she must do. And then she saw him. She saw Omi on the ground completely defeated, bruised, and hurt. She saw the others almost the same way.

"Fight this… I must fight all of this!"

The girl stood from the ground and retracted the dome. Chase Young looked into her eyes and had come to see a greater change within her, something he very much disliked.

_"Do it,"_ he said.

"No."

Her answer caught Raimundo and Clay off guard.

Chase Young snarled and pushed her away from him. She grunted in annoyance and anger as she felt her body slide against the earth. She watched him walk towards her, his eyes full of the same rage she has.

"Know your place!"

Kimiko's breathing quickened. "Oh, I know my place… I know exactly where I stand!" The girl got to her feet and was not only an inch away from his nose. Her eyes, full of guilt and sorrow drifted away from his as she took a deep breath. She gently added, "…and it's not with you."

From there, Chase attacked her with great strength. Kimiko was pushed away, hard against the ground. Her head pounded in pain, but realized she had to keep fighting.

Chase Young focused on the small monk only a few feet away from him and then the other two that were as exhausted as Kimiko.

He snatched the dagger from Kimiko's hand and slowly made his way toward them.

Kimiko lunged herself toward Omi and picked him up into her arms with all her strength. "Not tonight, my friend," she gently said into his ear.

Omi looked up and placed his small hand onto her cheek as he gently whispered to her, "I always knew you were in the side of good."

She quickly ran toward the other two monks and placed Omi beside Raimundo who quickly got up to tend to him. Kimiko used her strength to summon another dome of fire to protect them of the intense fight.

"Be careful!" Raimundo shouted from within the dome. Kimiko only turned to see him, but made no gesture of friendship or kindness toward him.

Kimiko slowly approached the man. She shook her head as she saw what he had in his hand. "You and me only, Chase… No other weapons."

Chase Young shrugged and released his grip on the dagger. "Fine…"

Kimiko prepared herself for an attack and Chase Young repelled any burning embers that came to his way. He transformed into the creature that he truly was and hit her hard on the abdomen with his strong tail.

The Fire Girl went down to her knees in pain as she groaned.

"I thought you were a great student."

"I am…" she struggled to say. "But I never should have been your student."

Chase Young shook his head. "I could have continued to teach you even greater things, Kimiko… You and I could have ruled the world together."

"That is not how things should go for me…" she said. She looked up to see him. "And I think you know that."

Chase snarled, but looked into her eyes. "You were a great student… You failed me, but it doesn't mean that I underestimate you, or even lost respect for you."

Kimiko sighed. "You can't sweet talk me into any more of your schemes, Chase Young."

The Evil Lord gently laughed as he knelt beside her and placed a finger beneath her cheek; an action that caused Raimundo to turn away in disgust.

"Why is it that I can choose when you couldn't?"

"Because of the bushmaster venom, dear girl… I know many things."

"And what becomes of me?" Kimiko asked as she turned to face the monks.

Chase Young sighed as he placed his hand on her head and took a deep breath. The girl seemed to completely glow a vibrant red color that caused the others to look twice.

"Just because I liberated you from your true form, does not completely mean that you're not evil. You have a lot of potential. Perhaps, Dragon of Fire, your path will lead you to seek for my guidance."

Kimiko looked at him and watched him vanish into thin air. She was still in severe pain from the impact, but was good enough to still release the others. And those final releases of energy made her see nothing more than complete darkness.

Raimundo was the first to run to her aid. He had her in his arms now, seeing her eyes gently close for a rest.

"Is… she _okay_?" Omi wearily asked.

"Yes… I think she is just tired."

"And what now?" Clay asked.

"Now we wait until she wakes up."

"And what if she's still on the side of the Heilyn?"

"…We just have to wait," Raimundo replied.

* * *

**_I know most parts were kind of fast-paced, but as we get closer to the ending, what do you think?_**


	36. Different Hearts

Please excuse any grammatical errors! I'll get back to them as soon as possible!

_**Note:**_

_**Ladies and gentlemen... You are now in the presence of the final chapter of the story! I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it.**_

* * *

Ch. 36

The girl fluttered her eyes open and came to see Raimundo sitting before her. Master Fung was on the far left near a table preparing some kind of tea, or medication. Her eyesight was somewhat foggy, but she still made up Clay's hat, Raimundo's messy hairstyle, and Omi's large head.

"She's coming around…" Dojo's voice hummed in the background.

"Is she alright?" Minh interfered.

Kimiko murmured things, but they weren't words, of course.

"Kimiko?" Raimundo gently whispered as his hand came to contact with Kimiko's.

His warmth came to awaken the girl and she looked into his eyes. He smiled warmly at her, but it completely caught her off guard, causing her to jump off the bed she was in and backed against the wall.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"You are in a vulnerable state, young one…" Master Fung said.

Kimiko heaved as she lowered her hands.

"You saved us from Chase Young," Omi added.

"Just because I saved you, does not completely mean we're friends," Kimiko responded.

They all stood silent.

"I know that what I've done was completely wrong. I'll be leaving first thing this afternoon."

Kimiko started her way toward the entrance of the room, but was stopped immediately by Raimundo's touch to the shoulder. Kimiko closed her eyes and felt her cheeks redden. She was embarrassed of everything she's caused.

"We don't want you to leave."

Kimiko did not respond.

"Please listen to me, Kimiko… It may take us some time to readjust to you being here and your recent change, but above everything else, we are still your friends."

"We were yer friends even when you thought we weren't," Clay added.

Kimiko turned to see everyone. She gently smiled, and broke down into tears.

"I'm so sorry for everything I've ever done…"

She quickly hugged Raimundo tightly. The Shoku Leader hugged her back as he dug his face into her shoulder.

She parted from Raimundo and looked at Master Fung. "The magic is not completely drained. It will take me a long time to regain my good Chi. The thing that does concern me is that I'll still have some of that evil within me."

Master Fung handed her a cup of tea and looked down at the teenage girl. "Every single one of us has both good and bad within us. It is up to the person to choose his or her own path."

"Well, I'm glad fighting you is over," Raimundo said as he placed his arm over the girl.

Omi giggled, loosening the bandages around his head the more he moved. "Yes, ha-ha! I mean, who's next? _Clay? Ha-ha-ha-ha!_"

And everyone came to laugh, including the dragons and Master Fung. But suddenly they all stopped, and turned to see Clay with caution.

#

Hannibal Roy Bean and Chase Young overlooked the rising sun from a distance. They were on the high cliffs by the entrance to Young's lair.

"I knew this would happen," Chase Young suddenly said, making Hannibal turn around with curiousity. "Kimiko is too strong to embrace evil, although she did it divinely for a couple of weeks. Her heart is too warm."

Hannibal shook his head, knowing exactly that this conversation did not exactly point out his failure as a master. "Perhaps your heart is too cold."

With this, Hannibal Roy Bean dragged his heavy body away, leaving the Evil Lord watching the sun rise by himself. He breathed profoundly and exhaled, thinking and rewinding his words and Hannibal's over and over…

* * *

**Thank you so much for your positive reviews, helpful criticism, and compliments! **

**Please tell me what you guys think (perhaps you didn't expect this ending?) **

**Anyway, I was planning to do a sequel to this with an original character to join the monks, but I decided not to since the new monk [Ping-Pong] from Xiaolin Chronicles has been introduced. So, I decided to write an interesting story that is all based on my own theories and ideas of the Xiaolin Showdown - show. Of course, this project won't be written until I get some time, so if you're willing to read it, you'll have to wait! You can also send me a private message about any questions you have. If you need help with anything, I'm free to give advice! **

**Again, thank you so much for reading and everything else. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned for a sequel, and perhaps a different adventure.**

**- Cassandra (aka AnonymousDarkWriter)**


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